Our People Our Places 2023

O ur PPeople eople O ur PPlaces laces Our Our ARCHITECTURAL WONDERS OF LOS ANGELES An Interview with Frank Gehry Disney Concert Hall LACMA The Ghosts of Greystone Walk of Fame Paramount Studios Lost L.A.

From the publishers We always look forward to publishing “Our People Our Places” annually to celebrate the marvels of our community.

With our lens focused on architecture this year, we showcase the architectural wonders of Los Angeles, starting with Disney Concert Hall designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry.

Our interview with Gehry provides a closer look at his inspirations and his continuing drive for achievement. The recent announcement of Gehry designing a new restaurant to be run

by Wolfgang Puck on Pacific Coast Highway where Gladstone’s has occupied beachfront property for 50 years, points to his prolific and vast career.

Architectural gems like the Greystone Mansion, the Magic Castle and Sid Grauman’s theaters highlight Los Angeles’ history, whereas the new LACMA campus, the Petersen and the Academy museums focus on more recent iconic accomplishments.

We delve into the city’s past with Lost L.A. and go out on a limb with TreePeople. Take a stroll down the Walk of Fame, find out what’s cooking with Nancy Silverton, and explore the town with Chris Erskine as your guide.

Los Angeles is rich with Streamline Moderne, Art Deco, Spanish Revival and craftsman buildings. We are also fortunate to have the people who designed and built them, and organizations like the L.A. Conservancy who have diligently worked to preserve them. We salute people who devoted their careers into crafting the City of Angels, including Wallace Neff, Frank Lloyd Wright, Gordon B. Kaufmann – and Frank Gehry.

Another estate, the fourth estate, which the Beverly Press and Park Labrea News is part of, celebrates its 77th year of publishing. This year, we were recognized at the Los Angeles Press Club’s Southern California Journalism Awards, with Karen Villalpando being named Print Journalist of the Year.

The 2022 edition of “Our People, Our Places” won 3rd place

PHOTO BY EMILY JILG

Foundations of success

Publishers Michael and Karen Villalpando at the Los Angeles Press Club’s Southern California Journalism Awards in June, where Karen was named Print Journalist of the Year.

for “Best Publication of the Year,” and the newspaper went five for five in all categories entered.

We continue to strive for journalistic excellence – every week in the newspaper and again with our 2023 “Our People Our Places.”

We hope you enjoy the read – let us know what you think.

Founded 1946 Karen Villalpando Editor & Publisher

Michael Villalpando CEO & Publisher

Serving the communities of Beverly Hills, Bel Air, West Hollywood, Hancock Park, the Miracle Mile, Carthay Circle, Beverly-Fairfax and Park La Brea

Editor: Edwin Folven Staff Writers: Rance Collins, Joey Waldinger Contributors: Chris Erskine, Michael Krikorian, Tim Posada, Rebecca Villalpando Jill Weinlein

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LACMA

breaks boundaries When the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s long-awaited David Geffen Galleries open in late 2024, the glasslined structure arching over Wilshire Boulevard will welcome visitors to a new museum experience unlike any other in the world. LACMA’s diverse collection of art spanning centuries will be presented in a way the public has never seen before.

LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director Michael Govan outlined the museum’s ambitious construction plans and shared his enthusiasm for the revolutionary design.

“The crossing over Wilshire is amazing,” Govan said. “It was designed to celebrate Wilshire Boulevard, trying to let

you see it as this grand monumental boulevard, or if you will, a work of art in a museum.”

Govan said spanning the boulevard to the south was an ingenious idea, allowing for additional exhibition space not available to the east due to expansion plans by the La Brea Tar Pits Museum.

The idea to transform the LACMA campus dates back more than two decades. The former Ahmanson, Art of the Americas and Hammer buildings had infrastructure and seismic issues, and were not connected in a cohesive way, presenting challenges in displaying art and mounting major exhibitions. Prior to Govan joining LACMA in 2006, the mu-

seum’s board and the county, which owns the museum, considered other projects that would have also dramatically altered the campus.

When Govan arrived, he initiated the process of bringing in renowned Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, whose imaginative concept was eventually selected by the board. Zumthor has designed numerous projects throughout Europe, including the Kolumba Art Museum in Germany and the Swiss Sound Pavilion.

“I knew Peter, knew his work well and knew that a lot of artists and curators felt like he was the best, or one of the best, museum architects in the world,” Govan said. “We started studying this in the late continues on page 8

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RENDERING COURTESY OF LACMA

B Y E D W I N F O LV E N

2000s and then we presented it. I would say total, whether you call it input or responsibility, combined with a lot of technical input, the concept, the program, that’s all been my responsibility.”

Whereas traditional museums display art in windowless galleries, the new David Geffen Galleries will frame LACMA’s vast collection in a new light, literally, in a building encased in windows intended to be portals to the City of Angels. The windows are a key component of the design, Govan said, showcasing a city as diverse as the artworks themselves.

“We were very determined to have a building that would feel like Los Angeles, this spread-out city where there is incred-

ible diversity of neighborhoods, of people, of culture, and one is not better than another. We wanted to make sure that the museum was generous in that sense, that it was open,” Govan said. “If you have a rectangular building with a traditional facade, you have a front and a back. If you have multiple stories, you have that first floor and then other floors. Transparency was very practical and philosophical in the sense that you wanted to remind yourself always, even if you went into an interior gallery, looking at a work of intimate Chinese ink painting on silk, when you come back out, you remember you’re in Los Angeles. The idea was Los Angeles would be present through look-

The plaza provides outdoor public space on the museum campus.

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ing out the windows.”

The windows also provide an opportunity to view art from the outside looking in, giving another way of experiencing the museum’s collection.

“We have a lot of first-time visitors who have never been to a museum and don’t know what’s inside.” Govan said.

“We want you to be able to see what’s going on.”

The new building’s serpentine structure does not follow a specific architectural style, he added. It has a single exhibition floor with 347,000-square-feet of space suspended over the ground on pedestals, allowing a congruous flow throughout the galleries. Zumthor’s design opens three acres of outdoor space in the park surrounding the museum, which will be filled with arts and cultural programming.

The natural outdoor spaces serve as connecting pathways to other galleries on the LACMA campus, neighboring museums and the surrounding community, beckoning people to come, Govan said.

Multiple entrances allow visitors to access the museum from any side, including a new area on the south side of Wilshire Boulevard where a parking lot is being turned into a community gathering space, much like the plaza surrounding “Urban Light.”

“You’re going to have cafés, public sculpture, theater, accessible education spaces right on Wilshire Boulevard, and art. So, the street life of Wilshire, driving or walking, is going to be much more engaging,” Govan said.

LACMA is preparing for an influx of new guests with the opening of its build-

RENDERINGS COURTESY OF LACMA

An aerial rendering of an overview of the LACMA campus showcases the expansion over Wilshire Boulevard. LACMA, The Academy Museum The Petersen and the La Brea Tar Pits & Museum make up the “Museum Miracle Mile.”

ing. A Metro subway station is scheduled to open at Wilshire Boulevard and Ogden Drive in late 2024 just steps from the museum. The cultural offerings and public gathering spaces will make Wilshire Boulevard a destination, perhaps like Los Angeles’ own Champs-Élysées in Paris.

“What people I think don’t realize is that if you accumulate the work since 2006, of building the Broad Contemporary Art Museum, the Resnick Pavilion, the outdoor sculpture and new plazas and restaurants, the Academy Museum, the new LACMA building and the Metro stop, and the soon to be a renovated Tar Pits Museum, that’s a multi-billion dollar investment in this area,” Govan said.

“We’ve never really used it, but there was this idea that it would become now Museum Miracle Mile, because Miracle Mile

is such a beautiful name, but of course, that was for commerce. Now, this corridor has less commerce and more museums. I don’t know if it will stick, but I had always proposed we call it Museum Miracle Mile.”

The $750 million project was made possible with $125 million from the county, and the remainder coming from private donations. Geffen donated $150 million, the largest single gift in LACMA’s history. Other big donors include casino and hotel magnate Elaine Wynn and the W.M. Keck Foundation, who each donated $50 million. Susan and Eric Smidt, Bobby Kotick, A. Jerrold Perenchio, the Ressler/Gertz Family Foundation, Steve Tisch and the Wasserman Foundation were major contributors.

Plans for an opening exhibit or grand

opening have yet to be announced. The new building is 65% complete and much work must still be done. Art lovers should mark their calendars and prepare to be dazzled.

“We are going to bring back the diversity of our collections,” Govan said. “If you were here before, things were hidden in back corners in dark rooms and corners on the fourth floor that frankly, we know very few people went to see. It’s going to feel very fresh and new. The idea is for people to feel utterly inspired by the diverse creativity of the world’s cultures.

Yes, you will learn facts if you want to focus on it, but the main thing is that people really feel inspired and have faith in that very diverse, continuous human creativity – to really feel it. The whole building is designed to feel the thrill of that.”

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Brewing new life into a historic tire shop A beer for all seasons

BY JOEY WALDINGER

A

1940s Cadillac convertible pulls into the Firestone Tire Center and a “ding-ding” lets the attendants know a customer has arrived.

For approximately 75 years, drivers visited the auto shop on South La Brea Avenue to get their tires changed and vehicle serviced. Constructed in 1937, the building is a shining example of Streamline Moderne architecture, an outgrowth of the Art Deco movement then at the height of its popularity. Designed to resemble the cars that parked inside, the building evoked a sense of speed and power. The bold red and white Firestone sign, standing high above the curved building where a tall awning shadowed big windows, was impossible to miss.

In recognition of its architectural significance, the building was designated a historic-cultural monument in 2012, providing some protection against major alterations, said Adrian Scott Fine, senior director of advocacy at the L.A. Conservancy.

Business at the tire center slowed over time, and the building increasingly declined until closing in 2015, he said.

Six years later, All Season Brewing Co. opened a microbrewery taking its name from the popular Firestone “All Season Tire.” The building is alive once more, with people piling in for beer and arcade games. While the Firestone service center was once hailed 1 4 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALL SEASON BREWING

The brewery owes much of its success to the careful preservation of vintage aesthetics.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ALL SEASON BREWING CO. PHOTO COURTESY OF HYMAN LTD

for its cutting edge-design, the brewery is now winning praise as a model for adaptive reuse – the practice of reusing buildings for ways in which they were not originally intended, instead of demolishing and building from scratch.

In July, All Season Brewing Co. – which is operated by Pouring With Heart, an L.A. hospitality group – won an L.A. Conservancy Preservation Award for preserving the building’s Streamline Moderne aesthetics, thereby giving new glory to a building that just needed “a little bit of love,” Fine said.

“If it hadn’t landed in the right hands, and also if it hadn’t been designated [as a historic-cultural monument], it very easily could have been demolished,” Fine said. “In this case they just used what’s existing and repurposed it and it’s like nothing else in the city.”

It’s a uniqueness that Fine has experienced firsthand, he said.

“I took my car there for tires and then I went for a beer, and I was like, ‘It hasn’t changed that much,’” Fine said. “Which is kind of the beauty of this specific reuse.”

The brewery took its name from a best-selling Firestone tire.

Streamline Moderne, which gained popularity throughout the 1930’s, was a response to the era’s car culture, with sleek designs space, as examples of details that uphold the original character. emphasizing big curves, technical geometry and aerodynamics, Other details more subtly recall the building’s history, or exemFine said. plify its reuse. Evenly-spaced splotches on the floor show where “Firestone was developing buildings like this all over that had tire lifts used to be, and a photo booth, covered by a red velvet a very similar design, including almost twins to this building,” he curtain, was once a shower, Lopez said. added.

“It’s just that kind of patina of layers of history that I think, When interior designer Matt Winter was tapped by Pouring with again, was so beautifully executed in terms of this adaptive reuse,” Heart to lead the renovations, he was determined to preserve the Fine said. space as authentically as possible.

He credits much of the brewery’s success to this dedication to “We looked at all of the features of the building and kept as history, and thinks that its popularity, coupled with the foot traffic many as we could. It was important to keep the look of the buildexpected to accompany completion of the Metro Purple Line Exing’s exterior and we restored it back to its original appearance. tension Project, could entice other new businesses on that stretch The interior of the space was also left original,” Winter said. of La Brea Avenue.

Fine said that incorporating original materials into the redesign, He also hopes the building’s success, and the award from the and preserving the color scheme and Firestone signage, played an conservancy, demonstrate both the commercial and cultural benespecially important role in maintaining a vintage feel. Protecting efits of preserving historic spaces. For developers who see buildsmaller details, such as graffiti from previous Firestone workers, ings as assets for making money, All Season Brewing shows that also help the space feel of a different time, he added. there is profit in preserving history, Fine said.

Peter Lopez, a manager at All Season Brewing Co., said the “Quite honestly, there are probably many buildings like this in preservation team was careful to maintain other details that keep L.A. County that the brewery anchored people are right now in its history. contemplating During a brief tour Vehicles like this 1940s Cadillac were serviced with a smile at Firestone Tire on La Brea demolishing,” Fine on a recent Sunday said. “People often night, when business want to visit, spend was still humming intheir money, use their side the brewery, time and go to places Lopez pointed to an that are interesting and old air conditioning authentically L.A. unit built by the grandplaces.

The more we father of Trent Reznor have examples like this (lead singer of rock and others, I think, band Nine Inch Nails), helps people see things and a red ladder leadin a new light.” ing up to a storage

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Things I love about

L.A.

BY CHRIS ERSKINE

Oh, L.A., you toddlin’ town.

Man, I love this place.

I blame the pings.

What’s a ping? A ping is the purest note, the greatest moment, the perfect kiss.

A little background on pings: One day I hope to pen a book on Barbra Streisand’s most-perfect note. With input from Babs and others, I’ll pick her finest single moment, write about the bell-tone perfection, the way her vocal cords quiver compared to the rest of us.

I want to figure out the influences. Who was she seeing at the time? How many times had her heart been crushed? Who wrote that particular song, and could he or she ever have seen the majesty of that one divine note?

I’d include occasional asides on other performers — Bellini, Sinatra, Adele, Miles Davis – and their pivotal moments.

But the arc of the book, the connective tissue, would be this pursuit of perfection, and how it all came to fruition in that one 1 8 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

perfect note by Barbra Streisand.

No, I haven’t been drinking. Nor have I identified the note yet.

And it’s truly a subjective exercise. My perfect note may not be your perfect note.

Point is, you can have a decent life in St. Louis or even Wichita.

But in L.A., you have a chance at truly transcendent notes. To me, Los Angeles has more of these pings – musical and otherwise — than any place in America.

Of course, many pings take place at our cultural marvels, such as the Getty and Disney Hall, or that sweeping new palace down by the airport. They call it SoFi for now. At least till the naming rights expire.

Yet, the sun is my psychedelic. The sea is my gin. In L.A. I’d almost always rather be outdoors.

So my personal pingy moments – the purest note, the perfect kiss – seem to take place (mostly) outdoors.

Honestly, there is no greater setting for a city. L.A. is cradled by mountains, cleaved with canyons, chomped on by the occasional wild bear.

I mean, can you believe this place?

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHRIS ERSKINE

The view from the top of City Hall, another free way to appreciate the glories of Los Angeles.

That’s why I prefer the Hollywood Bowl over Disney Hall, or choose the Rose Bowl over Crypto.com.

By the way, did you know that LA Phil rehearsals at the Bowl are free and open to the public? I’m sharing this little nugget in hopes that you not tell a single soul. Or a married soul.

But, OK, go ahead, take a date, a picnic basket and your dorky sun hat to the Bowl some weekday morning and listen to the Philharmonic rehearse for an upcoming performance.

Yes, free as government cheese. The parking too.

Bring a book or an espresso. Breathe deep the sugarbush and the black sage, amid the mourning doves playing in the pastoral canyon light.

Down on stage, that shaggy boy maestro might be working with the second violins. Or, A weekday morning at the Bowl, where the free rehearsals usually draw about 100 people. you might catch Sting running through his set the stars trying to peek through the city’s heavy halo. list for that night. Rehearsals are open with the permission of the Our own Oz. Gorgeous and aglow, lighted like a cathedral and artists, so check in advance (L.A. Phil rehearsals are open primawearing that classic white tux. rily on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 a.m.-noon; For schedule, Ping. call (323)850-2000, ext. 2, then ext. 6). Each week’s schedule is released on Monday. The season runs through early November.

Obviously, L.A. is like a giant to-do list. Some destinations are obvious: You can hike to the Hollywood Sign, then cool your lips on an ice-flecked martini at Musso & Frank.

All well and good.

But I am more drawn to the roads less traveled. Because that’s where you’ll find L.A.’s amazing little secrets.

So, let me introduce you to Boardner’s, perhaps my favorite watering hole – dark and cool as a cave, with a little patio out back. Noirish? Seedy? Yeah, kind of. But you don’t get to be a dirty little secret for nuthin’.

Before I go, let me throw you two more spots that will light up your life.

Atop L.A. City Hall is a free, little-known public observation deck that looks out in all directions for 40 miles, and when the marine layer lifts, all the way to Catalina.

The other day, we were the only visitors up there, gazing out at the ancient Sears building in Boyle Heights, then all the way down Fig toward So-Fi, then west to the Hollywood Sign. Looking toward Chinatown, we could spot other juicy L.A. treasures: Philippe’s, Olvera Street and Union Station.

Like the Bowl, the City Hall Observation Deck is easy as can be. Sign in at the public entrance off Main Street, then take two elevators to the top.

On your way down, be sure to press 3 and tour the Rotunda, then dash two blocks to Little Tokyo for a noodle bowl at Daikokuya, or a whisky sour at Far Bar, another over-varnished slice-of-life where the likes of Philip Marlowe used to toss their hats.

You know, this must’ve been some town in the ’30s and ’40s.

And in certain spots, it still is.

Such as Griffith Observatory on a plum-purple autumn night,

Chris Erskine was a columnist for The Times for 25 years. He now writes weekly for the Park Labrea News and Beverly Press. Email him at Letters@ChrisErskineLA.com.

Sho c men’ envir f exc e

Bev

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Frank Gehry The architectural virtuoso continues to inspire and enrich lives

W

ith its sweeping silver façade dancing like musical notes on the Los Angeles skyline, the Walt Disney Concert Hall is perhaps the most recognizable and architecturally significant building in the city, if not country – and perhaps even the world.

Designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, the hall is trumpeted as one of the most acoustically perfect venues ever built.

Certainly, Angelenos feel privileged to have the Gehry-designed masterpiece located in the city. And following an interview with the architect, Gehry is equally as gratified the hall became the shining star that it is.

Is it his proudest architectural achievement? Gehry demurs like a proud father of many.

“That is like asking someone who their favorite child is! Hav2 0 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

ing said that, Walt Disney Concert Hall was a big game changer in my own life. It was a long process, the early part of which was personally quite painful for me. After a multi-year hiatus, the project came back online. It was very gratifying to work with the many people who helped bring it back to life,” Gehry said.

Home to the Los Angeles Master Chorale and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the hall’s genesis began in 1987 with a $50 million gift from Lillian Disney, widow of Walt Disney, to erect a concert venue in homage to her husband’s devotion to the arts.

As Gehry alluded, the project met with challenges, some political, and the development shut down in 1994. But like a phoenix rising, the steel structure took flight with support from public and private donors and ultimately opened in 2003.

“I had never seen Los Angeles come together so enthusiastically

PHOTOS COURTESY LA PHIL

B Y K A R E N V I L L A L PA N D O

around a concert hall. Folks from every level of government, institutions, private donors all jumped in to help get the hall built.

Particularly Los Angeles County and our then supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky really pushed to get the building built. I go to the hall a lot, and I am always grateful to see the multitude of donor names all over the building,” Gehry said.

Gehry and Zev Yaroslavsky, former Los Angeles County Supervisor, have known and admired each other for years.

“I’ve known Gehry for decades,” Yaroslavsky said. “Our relationship was really cemented during the Walt Disney Concert Hall project. I supported his role as its architect. I was the Board of Supervisor’s representative on the Disney Hall project committee, and we all worked together to get it done,” Yaroslavsky added.

With seating to accommodate an audience of 2,265, the interior of the hall is paneled in Douglas fir, emitting a warm glow to the expansive room. The impressive organ stands at the front of the hall, with a crescendo of 6,134 stalk-like pipes extending toward the steel roof. The organ is a collaboration between Gehry and Manuel J. Rosales, a Los Angeles-based organ designer. Gehry presented a concept that looked like a cluster of flowers shooting out of the ground. Rosales recommended European organ builder Casper von Glatter-Götz to fabricate and install the organ. The final result, which Gehry refers to as “French fries,” culminates into an acoustical masterpiece.

Enjoying a performance of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Disney Concert Hall is the culmination of Gehry’s brilliant design, Yasuhisa Toyota’s acoustical talents and Gustavo Dudamel’s musical prowess. With the orchestra seated, the crowd quieted, con-

ductor Dudamel takes the stage and commands the violinists to guide their bows in unison followed by the oboe, flute, cello and tympani. And the concert begins.

Frank Gehry was born Frank Owen Goldberg on February 28, 1929, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 1947, Gehry and his family immigrated to Los Angeles, where he studied architecture at the University of Southern California and city planning at Harvard University. It was during that time he changed his name. After working for several architectural firms, including those of Victor Gruen in Los Angeles and André Remondet in Paris, he established his own company, Frank O. Gehry & Associates, in 1962, and later Gehry Partners in 2002.

As a child, he drew inspiration from the people with whom he surrounded himself, like his grandmother who encouraged his creativity by utilizing items from his grandfather’s hardware store to fashion imaginary buildings. When he went to college, peers and artists influenced the designer.

“The artists embraced me from an early point in my career. I grew up with them and their process, which was more intuitive and rigorous and iterative than the architects at the time,” he said.

Gehry continues to be inspired by his contemporaries, both past and present.

“I look at history of art and architecture and certainly find inspiration from the great artists of the past like Bernini and Borromini and my contemporaries like Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Kenny Price, Billy Al Bengston - I could go on and on,” Gehry continued. continues next page

Frank Gehry’s original sketch of the Disney Concert Hall.

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PHOTOS COURTESY GEHRY PARTNERS

“As for young architects, I have a lot of young talent in my office. We have developed an incredible design team, which I suppose we are known for, but we have an equally talented technical/construction team. The leadership group has been with me for 25-plus years, and we have built a lot of buildings together.

They are about the work – the art of it and the craft. They know how to design and build with excellence. They know how to hold to budgets, collaborate with clients, and create innovative but human spaces.”

Indeed, the Gehry team’s many accomplishments include the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago, the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis, the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, among others. However, Gehry, doesn’t rest on his laurels. He drives his team forward with passion and integrity.

“When I look at the other firms practicing today, some of the younger architects, in my opinion, are ambitious at the expense of their architecture. With my team, they have their heads screwed

on straight. I am very lucky to have this group of architects to play with,” Gehry said.

In keeping with that spirit, another large project flows from his creative mind – the 51-mile L.A. River revival.

It’s a huge undertaking, revitalizing miles of space into an urban sanctuary.

“The L.A. River is an exciting 51 miles of public right of way that manages flood control for the county of L.A. My hypothesis was if the flood control part of it could be managed in a tunnel, that the 51 miles could be turned into a wonderful landscape connector for the entire county, connecting rich and poor neighborhoods at the center of the cities that it crosses through.”

Again, Yaroslavsky and Gehry meet at the headwaters, with the then-supervisor helping to secure necessary funding. In fact, a half-mile path located in Studio City is named the Zev Yaroslavsky L.A. River Greenway Trail. The trail brings back native habitat to the river’s edge and reincorporates the river into the urban San Fernando Valley neighborhood.

It wasn’t Yaroslavsky who lured Gehry to the L.A. River project.

“I have no idea who mired him in,” Yaroslavsky mused.

Gehry attributes his overall interest in the L.A. River Project to helping the environment and the children who live in urban areas.

“I found there were communities in the southeast of the county where park space is non-existent, and kids growing up have a 10 year less life span. This is recorded and confirmed by the U.S. Department of Public Health. After I saw this, I couldn’t help but get involved,” Gehry said.

Buildings, projects and causes have afforded Frank Gehry to travel all over the world – France, Spain, China, Germany – and in the U.S. New York, Chicago, Minneapolis. Yet Gehry still calls Los Angeles home. Living in Santa Monica since the 1950s, the original Gehry home is described as an architecturally convoluted design, with glass, corrugated steel and wood combined to create a feeling of a tree house. He designed and built a new home a few years ago with his architect-son Sam. With a modern Adirondack lodge feel, the home features exposed Douglas fir timbers and expanses of glass. It’s more luxurious than the original, which has also stayed in the family.

As to why Gehry stayed in Los Angeles, he puts it simply.

“I grew up professionally here. L.A. attracts great writers, musicians, artists and even architects. The energy here seems to push individuals to explore their craft.”

As Angelenos, we are all better for having our city and county graced with the works and the imagination of Frank Gehry.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FRIENDS OF GREYSTONE

The Beverly Hills gem has a storied history full of intrigue, romance and even ghosts.

The ghosts of Greystone The prized mansion gracing Beverly Hills

BY JOEY WALDINGER

G

Greystone Mansion, perhaps the most famous property in Beverly Hills, sits at the top of a long curvy driveway. Spread over 18 acres, the estate features elegant courtyards, lush gardens and hidden details visible only with careful observation. With its high archways and large windows, detailed chimneys and wide patios, the mansion can feel as imposing as it is elegant. To get from one end of the property to another, visitors walk on long pathways and down staircases that pass by sloping lawns and aging sculptures.

One of the city of Beverly Hills’ most prized public assets and a defining symbol of the opulence of 1920s Los Angeles, 2 4 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

the mansion has captivated residents across the region for the better part of a century – sometimes for unsavory reasons.

A gruesome murder in 1929 has left an impenetrable air of mystery, and to this day, some claim that spirits haunt the

mansion. Greystone has changed hands several times over the decades, being used variously as a family home, a film school and a movie set. For a while, the mansion stood largely vacant, falling into disrepair until the city bought it in 1965 and embarked on decades of renovations, turning it slowly into the civic treasure it is today.

Greystone Mansion was built by Edward “Ned” Laurence Doheny Jr., son of a gold prospector who became fantastically rich after discovering oil deposits in Los Angeles and Mexico at the end of the 19th century, according to a history provided by the nonprofit Friends of Greystone Mansion.

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The Greystone Mansion’s name is derived from the abundant use of stone, and perhaps its scandalous past.

course of events has never been fully untangled. Plunkett’s motive also remains a mystery. Was he a lover scorned by Doheny? Was he framed by Lucy, who uncovered a hidden relationship between her husband and Plunkett? Was the killing tied to a national corruption scandal, as some have speculated?

And have the spirits of Doheny, Plunkett and Lucy ever truly left? This is the central question of “Ghosts of Greystone,” a book by veteran writer and actor Clete Keith investigating claims of paranormal activity at the mansion.

Over the course of three years, Keith interviewed a cast of Greystone visitors and workers who’ve all claimed to brush against the paranormal. He recounts a visitor who heard a disembodied female voice, a park ranger who saw faucets turn themselves on and a photographer who smelled rotting flesh in the exact spot where one of the bodies was found.

If spirits do indeed haunt Greystone’s halls, they were unsuccessful, at least at first, in driving out Lucy, who lived there until 1955.

She sold most of the estate’s land to The Paul Trousdale Corporation – developer of the Trousdale Estates – and then sold the rest and the mansion to Henry Crown, a businessman from Chicago who owned the Empire State Building, said Susan Rosen, president of the Friends of Greystone Mansion.

Crown leased the estate out to filmmakers, a legacy that continues today, but never lived there in any of the 10 years he owned it, she added “It was vacant,” Rosen said. “He had a security guard, and some of the older Beverly Hills High School students, they’ll tell you they used to be able to go there and run through it and no one said anything. The city purchased it from Crown’s wife because she didn’t want to

PHOTO BY JOEY WALDINGER

After Doheny married Lucy Smith, scion of a prominent Pasadena family, his father gave him, as a wedding gift, the premium parcel of land overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The following year, Doheny began building Greystone Mansion on the gifted land.

He hired a team of the era’s biggest names in design and architecture, ultimately pouring more than $3.166 million – an unimaginable sum at the time – into the estate.

After about a year, the roughly 46,000 square foot mansion was complete. The Greystone moniker derived from the exterior’s abundant use of stone and somewhat somber appearance, and the interior was finished with intricate, painstaking detail.

The oak banisters, balustrades and rafters were hand carved, while each of the seven chimneys was designed and crafted by different artists. The floors of the grand hall featured black and white inlaid marble.

Surrounding the mansion were sprawling grounds rich with amenities: stables and kennels, tennis courts, a fire station, a gatehouse, a swimming pool, babbling brooks and cascading waterfalls.

But Doheny would hardly get to enjoy the wonderland he had built.

Five months after moving in, Doheny was murdered at 35 years old by his longtime friend and aid Hugh Plunkett, who then turned the gun on himself.

Photos of the crime scene show Doheny’s lifeless body splayed on his back, half his face bloodied from the gunshot wound. Plunkett was photographed facedown, lying in a pool of blood.

The city was riveted by the apparent murder-suicide of the son of L.A.’s richest man, and almost a century later the exact

come west.”

By the time of the sale to the city in 1965, the property was in a sorry state, Rosen said.

“The doors didn’t close, the windows didn’t shut,” she said.

The city did significant work to clean up the mansion, which became a public park in 1971 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

But according to Rosen, it was the Friends of Greystone, founded in 2001, that pushed the city to restore the mansion’s original character.

The organization helped the city draft a master plan for restoration, and the city assembled a team to ensure the rehabilitations are done in keeping with the standards of the National Register of Historic Places, Rosen said. The restoration projects are guided by an extensive photo collection given to the Friends of Greystone, as well as architectural plans and other documents, she added.

“They’ve tried to be very faithful to the original property and the original materials,” said Cultural Heritage Commissioner Craig Corman.

Today, the mansion is a frequent site for city events and a popular choice for weddings and other private functions. It’s also a major tourist destination, and before the COVID-19 pandemic, Rosen would lead tours of the mansion, guiding visitors from across the world through a few of its 55 livable rooms, its bowling alley, its theater, its entertainment wing. Passing through the living room, she would advise visitors to look up at a gallery where musicians used to serenade people down below.

But despite all that grandeur, it was the

kitchen that drew the biggest reaction, Rosen said.

“It was amazing to just stand there and watch people’s faces,” Rosen said. “Nobody could believe that back during 192728, that they had a complete kitchen with beautiful gas stove tops, a big range, a magic chef oven, a big refrigerator. It had one continuous long stainless-steel counter going into the kitchen. It almost looks like today.”

While the tours are still on pause, Rosen hopes they will soon resume, she said.

Few historic mansions have been restored with such a level of authenticity, making Greystone Mansion a portal into one of Southern California’s most critical periods of growth, and the lives of the people who powered it, Rosen said.

“Greystone is one of the greater L.A. architectural gems. There’s no better way for people to understand and appreciate the history than to see, touch and experience its tangible reminders firsthand,” Rosen said.

“It does exemplify the American Dream.”

B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M 2 7

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS

Home to lush gardens, the mansion was once used as a hunting ground for the Doheny family.

The elegant

Wilshire Ebell

Bringing women together for generations B Y E D W I N F O LV E N

2 8 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

“The theater was built so it would bring in income for the club as well as house the club’s activities,” McAvoy added. “It was a way for the club to be financially stable and serve the community.”

The Ebell of Los Angeles has also been a darling of Hollywood, having been the location of numerous film shoots over the years.

It was included in “Forrest Gump,” “The Wedding Crashers” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” and most recently “Oppenheimer.”

“It’s in dozens of films and movies,” McAvoy added. “From the minute it opened, it became a favorite filming location.”

The Ebell of Los Angeles continues to call the stately building home, offering a full schedule of activities, educational programs and performances throughout the year. And while there were similar women’s organizations throughout the United States during the period when it was built, the Ebell of Los Angeles’ building is the best, McAvoy said.

“It was a major hub, a major convening site for women. It’s important to recognize it as a historic landmark because under 10% of historic landmarks in the United States are associated with women,” she added “We are very proud. It is one of the most elegant buildings in L.A. that is still serving its purpose.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE EBELL

T

he Ebell of Los Angeles’ building at Wilshire Boulevard and South Lucerne Avenue is an architectural treasure that has been a hub for women’s enrichment and education for nearly a century.

Designed by renowned architect Sumner Hunt, the 80,000square-foot Italian Renaissance-style building was constructed in 1927 as the home of the Ebell of Los Angeles, a philanthropic organization founded by women to further education, culture and social growth. The Ebell has painstakingly preserved the complex, which was designated as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 250 in 1982, and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The building remains as ornate today as it was when it was built, with intricate arched doorways and windows on the exterior, and spacious, elegant rooms inside. The interior was designed by artist Julian Ellsworth Garnsey, a Harvard graduate and professor of art who also helped design the Los Angeles Public Library and UCLA’s Powell Library. The Ebell’s Art Salon was one of the first galleries in Los Angeles to feature the work of women artists. A crowning feature of the historic property is the 1,238-seat Wilshire Ebell Theatre.

Ebell board member Christy McAvoy said the organization’s leadership in the 1920s sought to create a unique space tailored to the group’s goals of providing education and cultural advancement for women. The building includes dozens of smaller rooms that served as studios and spaces for specific activities, as well as a grand dining room, ballroom and courtyard.

“The Ebell is an educational space for women, and it was what we call a purpose-built building. It was to house all the activities,” McAvoy said. “The aesthetics of the Italian and European Revival were the primary architecture in Los Angeles in the 1920s, and it continued in the trend. In the 1920s, the membership was in the thousands, and it was a reflection of the club’s success at the time.

The design was meant to inspire the next generations.”

McAvoy said the Ebell’s theater and event spaces were intended to be gathering places for the community, and the Ebell raises money for its programs by renting the property.

Getty Villa recalls splendor of ancient Rome

BY JOEY WALDINGER

O

il tycoon J. Paul Getty desired his vast collection of Classical and Renaissance-era artworks to be viewed in an appropriate setting. Something to complement the works. Certainly not a modern museum.

Looking to ancient Rome as inspiration, he hired architects to design a museum reimagining the Herculaneum Villa dei Papiri, a Roman villa buried in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79.

The Getty Villa, which opened in 1974, “is unquestionably grand,” according to the L.A. Conservancy.

Getty Museum Director

Though most of Getty’s collection was moved to the Getty Center in Brentwood, opened in 1997, the villa continues to house an impressive range of Greek and

3 0 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

Roman antiquities. With its ancient influences, tranquil gardens and sweeping ocean views, the campus continues to be as popular as the art.

Perched high on a bluff in the Pacific Palisades, the Getty Villa is built with in-

tricate detail. Walls made with wood and travertine, and vibrant three-dimensional paintings, evoke ancient splendor.

It features an array of gardens lush with native Mediterranean herbs, sycamore and laurel trees, as well as two peristyles – a kind of continuous porch that wrapped around ancient Greek and Roman courtyards. The inner peristyle ensconces a meticulously trimmed garden, and the outer peristyle displays bronze statues modeled after those uncovered in Villa dei Papiri.

The campus grew during a decade-long renovation between 1996 and 2006, but architects Machado and Silvetti worked to maintain the original character.

The Getty Villa “offers an experience of ancient Greek and Roman art in a setting that replicates that in which it would have originally been displayed,” Getty Museum Director Timothy Potts said.

“The Getty Villa is a museum unlike any in the world.”

PHOTOS BY TAHNEE L. CRACCHIOLA, 2018 J. PAUL GETTY TRUST

The outer peristyle at the Getty Villa and the surrounding gardens offer lush views of the museum campus. Below, the fountain in the east garden at the Getty Villa details intricate tile work.

BY RANCE COLLINS

tourist hops off the bus on Hollywood Boulevard with the goal of seeing just one place.

Meandering through a crowd of hot dog vendors and street characters, the imposing theater comes into view. Staggering before them is the TCL Chinese Theatre, with its intricate Asian-influenced details and megawatt forecourt. Even for the locals, this spot is what makes Hollywood, Hollywood.

The impresario behind the building was Sid Grauman, an Indiana native and theater chain mogul who initially operated vaudeville theaters with his brother, David. They shifted into movie palaces, opening venues in San Francisco and San Jose. Their first effort in Los Angeles was downtown’s Mil-

A

lion Dollar TheJimmy Stewart’s hand and footprints are immortalized in concrete. atre, which remains in operation today for special events ican Cinematheque, a nonprofit that preserves film history. The American Cineand screenings.

Located at 307 S. Broadway, the Million matheque took over the building in the Dollar Theatre launched in 1917 with the late-1990s and conducted extensive renovapremiere of the silent western “The Silent tion that brought the structure up to date Man,” starring and directed by William S. while retaining its unique vintage charm.

The Egyptian is currently undergoing a Hart. The exterior features Spanish Colonial Revival touches, and the interior remains massive renovation and restoration followimmaculate with detailed moldings. While ing its purchase by Netflix in 2020. It is exthe structure has not undergone the exten- pected to open in November and will bring sive renovations and repairs that other Grau- the theater close to its original appearance. man structures have over the years, even The American Cinematheque will continue through the wear-and-tear, the theater re- to run programming at the venue, as well.

The success of the Egyptian led to the mains a unique location to see a classic film.

It is often used as a site for the summer film even larger scale Chinese Theatre, located at 6925 Hollywood Blvd., which includes a series Last Remaining Seats.

The brothers Grauman next dragon, red pagoda and two Ming Dynastyturned to Hollywood to open a era guard lions. During its construction, the movie palace – which would be idea came to cement Hollywood stars in the dubbed the Egyptian Theatre, lo- forecourt, with blocks containing their cated at 6712 Hollywood Blvd. handprints and footprints. The exact origin It took a year and a half to com- is uncertain, but the common thread is that plete the Egyptian Revival build- someone, perhaps Grauman or silent star ing, which incorporated not only Norma Talmadge, accidentally walked in touches of Eygptian flare but wet cement, which sparked the idea.

Talmadge was the first official star to be also Spanish-style roofing. Initial plans for the building showed it cemented in the forecourt, and close to 200 to be completely influenced by ceremonies have been conducted in the Mexican style, but it was con- near-100 years since. From Joan Crawford verted to an Egyptian theme dur- to Judy Garland, John Wayne to Jack Leming its long construction. David mon, Meryl Streep to Dwayne Johnson, Grauman died before the build- only the most elite of Hollywood luminaries ing’s completion, and Sid carried are invited to join the roster.

The theater has changed hands a few on the company on his own.

It opened on October 18, times over the years, with the Mann Theatre 1922, with the first-ever Holly- chain owning the structure for several wood-based premiere – “Robin decades. It was bought by TCL in 2013, Hood” starring Douglas Fair- who upgraded the screen and seating to acbanks. Classic Hollywood has commodate the IMAX format. Unlike the remained an intrinsic part of the Million Dollar Theatre and the Egyptian, the Egyptian’s identity. For many Chinese Theatre continues to show new reyears it was owned by the Amer- leases and hosts industry events.

The TCL Chinese Theatre was opened by Sid Grauman in 1922.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

and Sid Grauman’s theaters

PHOTO BY EDWIN FOLVEN

Hooray for Hollywood

WHAHLHK this way Stars form the cornerstone of Hollywood When thinking of architecture, a sidewalk may not come to mind. But when that sidewalk is the foundation of Hollywood, that sidewalk IS architecture.

Hollywood is where dreams come true, and the stars that line the Hollywood Walk of Fame exemplify the dreams of young men and women who took a leap of faith and said “I’m gonna be a star!” And not only

PHOTO COURTESY WOF

did they “make it,” those stars shaped this city, perhaps built this city, and THAT is architecture.

I N T R O B Y K A R E N V I L L A L PA N D O

3 4 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

PHOTOS BY EDWIN FOLVEN

B Y E D W I N F O LV E N

The stars have been a hit since 1958, when E. M. Stuart, former president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, came up with the idea. In 1953, he proposed the concept of honoring celebrities on the sidewalk and created a committee to further the proposal.

The idea may have stemmed from the historic Hollywood Hotel, once located at Hollywood and Highland, as the lore goes. The hotel, which was demolished in 1956, had stars painted on the ceiling with the names of celebrities. An initial proposal had caricatures of celebrities drawn on the sidewalk surrounded by brown and blue tiles. That idea was scrapped – the chamber thought the celebrities may not like the drawings created of themselves. The coral terrazzo surrounded by black terrazzo and emblazoned with a brass plaque identifies each celebrity. And the star was born, an instantly recognizable design now famous around the world.

The first eight stars were unveiled near Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue for Olive Borden, Ronald Colman, Louise Fazenda, Preston Foster, Burt Lancaster, Edward Sedgwick, Ernest Torrence and Joanne Woodward. Originally a Hollywood Chamber of Commerce promotion, the Walk of Fame was intended to give the public a place to share in the celebrity status of Hollywood’s most famous stars. Sixty-five years later, the Walk of Fame still gives fans that experience.

“This is the only award that can be shared with the fans,” said Ana Martinez, vice president of media relations for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and producer of more than 900 celebrity star ceremonies. “They can like the Oscar, the Emmy, the Grammy, but they are sitting on someone’s mantle or wherever

they want to put it. This is the one where you can touch your favorite celebrity’s star. You can lay next to it, you can sit next to it, you can touch it, that is what’s so interesting about the Walk of Fame.”

Fast forward to today, when 2,760 stars exist. The Walk of Fame was designated as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 194 in 1978. The walk was expanded in the 1990s along Hollywood Boulevard from Sycamore to La Brea Avenue, but its boundaries have otherwise remained the same. The chamber added a second row of stars in front of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in the 1990s, and later in front of the Hollywood and Highland complex and the El Capitan Theatre in the 2000s. Martinez said it ensures the Walk of Fame will never run out of space for new stars.

“You will see, here and there, where there is a second row,” she said. “We were running out of space in some areas and thought it was a good way to add more.”

Ultimately, the Walk of Fame complemented the architecture of the boulevard. From Musso and Frank, which has operated in the same location since 1919, to the opulent Egyptian and Chinese theatres, which opened in 1922 and 1927, respectively, the Walk of Fame introduces visitors to many architectural gems along Tinseltown’s most famous street. The Chinese Theatre in particular, with its exotic revival architectural style and forecourt featuring hand and footprints of many Hollywood stars, makes a perfect companion to the walk. And just like those famous movie palaces, the Walk of Fame is an example of the lasting impact of movies, entertainment and the industries behind them, capturing the spirit of Hollywood and the hopes and ambitions of those who dream to be a star.

B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M 3 5

Do you believe in magic?

The Larsen brothers did - and they believed in the success of the castle on the hill

A

n enchanting castle sits atop a hill above Franklin Avenue in Hollywood, a longstanding institution.

While the surrounding film and television studios spin illusions from light and shadow, this stalwart of the city makes magic the old-fashioned way – with hat tricks, card decks and sleight of hand. The Magic Castle is the ultimate ticket. An invite-only club since its inception in 1963, the castle is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2023, as the Larsen family – which has operated the club since the beginning – continues to welcome and amaze guests of all ages night after night.

Erika Larson is the daughter of Bill Larsen, Jr. Along with his brother Milt, Bill carried out the vision of creating a magician’s club on a 1962 handshake deal with the property’s then-owner Thomas O. Glover.

“The owner was going to tear it down,” Erika said. “And my uncle convinced them to give him a year. So, he did. And one year turned into another year into an-

other year into another year. And here we are 60 years later.”

Glover owned many properties in the Hollywood area, including the famed Yamashiro restaurant. The 1909 French Chateau-style mansion that would become the Magic Castle, originally constructed for real estate investor and philanthropist Rollin B. Lane, had fallen into disrepair, with the large property having most recently served as a boarding house. The Larsen brothers set about updating the home into a den of magic. Milt handled the renovations, salvaging ornate furniture pieces from film sets and demo-

lition sites of vintage estates. Bill was in charge of business affairs. On Jan. 2, 1963, the Magic Castle opened its doors for the first time. By the late-1960s, famous people regularly appeared at the castle. Cary Grant was even on the board of directors.

“He performed magic. He had started out in vaudeville,” Erika said. “He performed at some of our award shows.”

The dream of the castle predated Milt and Bill, however. The family had toured the country in vaudeville as “The Larsen Family of Magicians.” Their parents, William and Geri, settled in Hancock Park in 1942 at the former home of the L.A. Thayer Magic Company founder, a magic company they also bought. Their home, Brookledge, became an informal gathering space for the magic community, with luminaries like Bess Houdini among the guests.

Both William and Geri made names for themselves in the world of magic, with Geri becoming KTLA’s “Magic Lady” in the late-1940s with a children’s entertaincontinues on page 89

3 6 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE MAGIC CASTLE

BY RANCE COLLINS

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f the walls at the Formosa Cafe could talk, they’d regale any lunch, dinner or happy hour crowd with tales from Hollywood’s heyday, when Marilyn Monroe, Lana Turner, Frank Sinatra and Clark Gable used to stop in.

In 2018, the famed café reopened after years of closure when 1933 Group restored the iconic trolley car back to its original grandeur. The red trolley car dates back to 1904 and is confirmed to be the oldest surviving red train car in existence.

Bobby Green, a partner at 1933 Group, worked with the grandson of former owner Lem Quon to restore autographed celebrity photos and other artifacts that adorned the walls of the Formosa for decades. And they weren’t just customers.

Plenty of the Formosa’s famous denizens helped keep the cafe going about 30 years ago, when it faced the threat of demolition.

In 1991, actors Christopher Lloyd and John Cusack, two of the restaurant’s more contemporary regulars, led informational pickets and looked into protecting the building with landmark status after 3 8 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

Warner Bros. cancelled plans to replace it with a parking structure.

“I feel pretty good about it,” Quon, 81 at the time, told the L.A. Daily News in 1991. “I’m happy for all the actors that supported me.”

The entertainment industry has also paid tribute to the Formosa in several memorable movie appearances. In “L.A. Confidential,” an actress playing Lana Turner threw a drink in the face of a detective after he accosted her and an actor playing Johnny Stompanato, a Mickey Cohen associate.

“The movie ‘L.A. Confidential’ comes in here and all they do is set up cameras and shoot, there’s no set design needed,” said Alison Martino, creator of Vintage L.A. “Hollywood movie studios spend thousands of dollars to have something look like this on their movie sets, and we have it right here.”

Several key details of Formosa’s origins have been lost to history. Its architect and builder are unknown, according to the city of West Hollywood’s historic preservation records. The construction date is estimated between 1920-29. But the sto-

ries that have persevered through the years – such as Elvis giving a Cadillac to a waitress and John Wayne sleeping over and cooking eggs the next morning – have defined its legacy.

However, scrambled eggs are not on the menu at the Formosa – they do serve brunch on weekends where you can have eggs on a pork belly sandwich. The Formosa Cafe has remained true to its Chinese roots and serves some of the best Asian cuisine in Los Angeles. Kung pao chicken, wonton soup, Formosa chow fun noodles and dim sum are among the favorites. The dumplings include xio long bao soup dumplings, vegetable and fish.

The cocktail menu is also a throwback to the OG lounge, with Singapore Slings and Mai Tais among the popular offerings.

New-fangled cocktails like a green tea martini or a Nay Nay rosé martini keep the menu current and the crowds coming in.

Enjoy some Hollywood nostalgia, delicious Chinese cuisine and crafted cocktails in the trolley car on Santa Monica.

The Formosa Cafe is located at 7156 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, (323)850-1014. theformosacafe.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FORMOSA CAFE

B Y K A R E N V I L L A L PA N D O

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A monument to Hollywood’s evolving history

N

o studio defines Hollywood like Paramount. Its distinctive logo, with stars aligning around a high mountain, takes audiences to the world of make-believe in a way no other image can. The company’s logo was first unveilied in 1916, and the 24 stars surrounding the mountain represented the 24 stars then under contract. Though largely forgotten, their imprint remains on the studio.

The Paramount Studios Lot transports visitors to another time – when movies were movies and stars were stars.

The Spanish-style façades that dominate the lot’s exterior are indicative of the 1920s architecture that was popular in a period when films couldn’t even talk.

“I think the buildings were built with a sense of purpose,” executive vice president of studio services Kirk Solomon said.

During Hollywood’s fabled Golden Age, Paramount’s lot butted up against another studio’s – RKO Radio Pictures. Desilu bought RKO’s properties in the late-1950s, and then about 10 years later Paramount bought out Desilu. This made the studio’s long-neighboring property its own, and it nearly doubled the size of the studio space.

So while great Paramount productions, including “Sunset Boulevard” and “The Godfather,” shot on the lot, so did iconic RKO films, including “Citizen Kane,” often called the greatest movie ever made.

The beauty of the property makes it stand out from some of the more industrial-looking studio lots in the city. The large number 4 0 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

of green spaces, and the use of facades to enhance office buildings (and make them double as potential sets) gives Paramount an extra oomph that tourists expect in Hollywood.

“I think what’s really unique about this property is what the studio’s done [to it] over the decades,” Solomon said. “I feel like I’m just a current steward. We have the low scale – the lovely two story, three story smaller buildings – and then you turn a corner and all of a sudden, there’s a park between three or four buildings.”

But at its core, it is a functioning studio lot, complete with all the services necessary to outfit all sizes of production. With a set construction mill, lighting department, prop department and an impressive backlot area, Solomon calls Paramount a one-stopshop for television shows and films.

The Paramount New York Street, which has existed in various forms for decades, is one of the more popular shooting locations in the area. With sections that look like an older city with brownstone walk-ups, as well as a modern-looking financial district, a school and a recently-added theater marquee, it’s easy to make the backlot look like just about any town in the world.

“They don’t have to go to downtown Los Angeles, get permits and all that that implies. They can shoot here and manage the production so much better,” Solomon said.

Perhaps the most iconic feature of Paramount Studios is its front gate – or its old front gate, to be specific. Before the main studio continues on page 64

PHOTO COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT STUDIOS

BY RANCE COLLINS

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What’s Cooking with Nancy Silverton

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hether whisking eggs for an omelet, writing a new cookbook or spending the summer in Italy, Los Angeles chef and Master Class series star Nancy Silverton derives her energy from being in the kitchen – no matter where she is.

Inventing new dishes and exploring new tastes and flavors are her ideas of “working out.”

“Some go to the gym or to yoga class or on a run. I go into the kitchen,” Silverton said in an interview with the Beverly Press.

“A new flavor combination will always inspire me, usually something simple. ‘New’ to me, that is. Could be eggs with an aged pecorino or a shoulder of lamb with a blanket of herbs and cumin.”

Sounds delicious.

Her ever-evolving kitchen curiosity keeps her going – even when on vacation in Italy. She takes what she learns – or tastes – and brings those ideas back to her restaurants, Osteria Mozza, Mozza Pizzeria and chi SPACCA. 4 2 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

Her most recent travels gave her such a bountiful array of dishes, she is still debating exactly which to implement in her menus.

[It’s] tough to decide because there were so many. I went to Osteria Francescana and Massimo Bottura had some dishes that were stunning and utterly delicious. My friend, the brilliant food writer Faith Willinger, took us to the Abruzzo coast to a place called Vecchia Marina in the town of Roseto degli Abruzzi. The fish, straight from the adjacent Adriatic Sea, was prepared with just a splash of olive oil, salt, pepper and an herb or spice and was close-your-eyes good,” she said. “The menus at my restaurant are always changing from season to season – after each trip, you can be sure to find me in the kitchen with my team workshopping a new dish,” Silverton tenaciously pursues perfection with each new recipe, repeating over and over until she gets it right.

“For the record, the first attempt at a new dish never quite works.

Neither does the 13th. But I keep at it and I’ll get there,” Silverton insists.

Her latest venture is a new cookbook, “The Cookie That Changed My Life,” described as “the eagerly anticipated baking bible from America’s most respected authority: 100+ recipes for cookies, cakes, breads and breakfast pastries,” by publisher Penguin Random House.

A peanut butter cookie from an East Hollywood Bakery inspired her to write the cookbook.

“It was really something simple that I could have easily overlooked.

But Michael [Krikorian] brought home a peanut butter cookie from a bakery in East Hollywood, Family and Friends, and I took one bite and it was simply perfection. It brought youth back. It made me think about ideal versions of the classic desserts and I took my spin on them.”

As the original pastry chef for Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant Spago she said the cookie gave her an epiphany: “every single thing we bake should taste this good.”

She encourages at-home bakers to find a recipe that speaks to them.

“You can flip to any page, look at Anne Fishbein’s photos and find one.”

Since the theme of this magazine is about architecture, we asked Nancy what her favorite buildings are in L.A., besides Osteria Mozza and Mozza continues on page 44

Nancy Silverton, above, has written a new cookbook “The Cookie That Changed My Life.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF NANCY SILVERTON

B Y K A R E N V I L L A L PA N D O

Ojai Food + Wine Festival at the 100 year old Ojai Valley Inn B Y K A R E N V I L L A L PA N D O

The Ojai Valley Inn, a Spanish Colonial Revival resort, is hosting the Ojai Food + Wine Festival.

“We are humbled to welcome some of the most innovative and iconic chefs to Ojai – we will have over 75 chefs and over 100 wineries here for the weekend. Our vision is to create an event that showcases legends of hospitality while shining a light on some of the rising stars of our region in a more intimate environment than the large-scale festival,” Kephart said.

Silverton’s connection with the hotel runs deep, and Kephart and she have a mutual admiration for one another.

“Nancy Silverton is truly a gift to the world of hospitality. Prior to our partnership, I (like many) admired her restaurants and approach to cooking. I would drive hours just to eat lunch at the Pizzeria (Mozza) and would almost always include one of her restaurants in my dining itinerary when visiting L.A.,” Kephart said. “After getting to know her, I’ve learned that Nancy is one of the most kind, genuine, passionate and generous people – not just chefs – that I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. Having the honor of working alongside her in Ojai has been one of the great joys of my personal life and one of the proudest chapters of my professional life. Not only has she created countless unforgettable moments for our guests, she’s also had a profound impact on our culinary staff who gets to learn from her

during her visits.”

Silverton, our local chef “shero,” owner of Mozza Pizzeria, Osteria Mozza and Chi SPACCA, expressed similar praise on Kephart.

“Several years ago, he reached out to me to be a food ambassador of sorts for the hotel. I’ve brought in chef friends who cook there and hosted some great events (which isn’t difficult when it’s such a spectacular place.) Ben had the idea to make [the Ojai Food + Wine Festival] the premiere cooking event in the United States and I believe it will be. Jessica Koslow, Josiah Citrin, Alice Waters, Michael Cimarusti, Dominique Crenn, Christopher Kostow, Maggie Harrison, and on. It doesn’t get much better than that,” Silverton said.

As culinary ambassador, Silverton stars as the main act for many events at The Farmhouse, the rustic yet elegant building on property at the Ojai Valley Inn constructed to host culinary-inspired events. The venue provides Silverton the space to explore new dishes and expand her culinary palette – and palate.

Kephart explained the origins of The Farmhouse and how dining there elevates the experience for guests.

“To start, the aesthetics of The Farmhouse continues on page 44 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M 4 3

PHOTO COURTESY OF OJAI VALLEY INN

Just an hour’s drive north of Los Angeles, an enclave of grandeur awaits travelers looking for solace, relaxation and culinary excellence. Spend a day golfing, biking or enjoying the spa at the Ojai Valley Inn and you will be rejuvenated by its natural beauty, its tranquility and its dining prowess.

The Ojai Valley Inn nestled in the coastal Topa Topa mountains north of Ventura sits on 220 acres lined with oak trees and natural California foliage.

The inn opened 100 years ago when glass industrialist Edward Drummond Libbey constructed a country club with its clubhouse designed by architect Wallace Neff, who later conceived of the first 22 guest rooms at the inn. The U.S. Navy took over the hotel during WWII, and it became barracks for the nearby Seabees from Port Hueneme. Bob Hope and Bing Crosby hosted a fundraiser at the property for the Navy Relief Warfare Fund.

Eventually, private investors purchased the facility, and it once again became a retreat for the rich and famous.

Hollywood elites flocked to the hotel as a getaway from the city, with Clark Gable, Judy Garland and Ronald Reagan as regular visitors.

Over the years, the Ojai Valley Inn expanded, adding more guest rooms and a revamped PGA golf course. The owners, Jim and Paula Crown, invested millions over the next few decades, continually refurbishing the hotel and adding amenities. The quintessential Spanish Colonial Revival style with red tile roofs and lush natural landscaping make the Ojai Velley Inn desirable in its architectural beauty and in its world class hospitality.

Now with acclaimed chef Nancy Silverton as the culinary ambassador of the hotel, the historic resort proudly hosts the Ojai Food + Wine Festival this October. She is one of 75 chefs headlining the event, which promises to be legendary, according to Ben Kephart, general manager of the Ojai Valley Inn.

Maccheroni alla Chitarra with early girl tomatoes and garlic breadcrumbs is a specialty at Osteria Mozza.

The Farmhouse at the Ojai Valley Inn provides a rustic yet elegant space for exclusive dining experiences.

SILVERTON

OJAI VALLEY INN

Pizzeria, of course. Without knowing some of the places we highlighted in this issue, she offered some prime choices.

“The old Bullocks Wilshire. The old May Company at Wilshire and Fairfax which is now the Academy Museum, the old Tail o’ the Pup. The Beverly Wilshire Hotel,” she listed.

And two others we may have overlooked, “My old restaurant Campanile which is now Republique. It’s not a building, but the Watts Towers must be in any issue about Los Angeles architecture.”

We will save those iconic places for the next issue.

As for what’s next, Silverton hinted she has something cooking.

“How much space do you have? Let’s just say if you can’t come to see me at Highland and Melrose, I am going to try and come see you. Wherever in the world you may be.”

are so stunning, the mood is instantly set for a special evening.

Every event takes on a bit of a different feel as we encourage our visiting chefs to be visionaries of their event, rather than be bound to a specific format,” Kephart said.

“For some, it’s cooking through the lens of ingredients growing on our property; for others it’s transporting our guests to their locale by traveling to Ojai with products from their backyards. The power of food and wine’s ability to connect and create relationships is well documented, and these dinners at The Farmhouse have only reinforced that notion for me.”

The Ojai Valley Inn is celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2023. For more information about the inn and the Ojai Food + Wine Festival, visit ojaivalleyinn.com and ojaifoodandwine.com.

905 Country Club Road Ojai, CA 93023.

Authentic Japanese architecture & cuisine at Yamashiro

Enjoy Asian delights like pork bao buns, chicken fried rice and a 10-oz. bone-in tonkatsu steak, sake steamed clams and a variety of noodle dishes. The sushi menu is extensive with more than a dozen rolls, sashimi and sushi boats. Sip cocktails at the Pagoda Bar, enjoy sushi in the garden and soak up Los Angeles history at Yamashiro in Hollywood. yamashirohollywood.com. 1999 N. Sycamore Ave., (323)466-5125.

by Jill Weinlein

Built in 1914, Yamashiro is an exact replica of a palace in the mountains near Kyoto, Japan. The Hollywood hilltop landmark was painstakingly built by hundreds of craftsmen from the Orient and is constructed of teak and cedar. Sitting 250 feet above Hollywood Boulevard, the restaurant setting provides 360-degree views of Los Angeles. A 600-year-old authentic pagoda from Japan was brought to Los Angeles by the original owners, the Bernheimer brothers, and it is the oldest structure in Los Angeles.

It sits near the Pagoda Bar at the rear of the property. During the 1920s, Yamashiro was a social hangout for the exclusive “400 Club” members comprised of actors, writers, directors and celebrities. Through the years, many movies have been filmed at the unique property including “Memoirs of a Geisha” (2001) and “Kill Bill” (2003). Classic TV shows like “Perry Mason,” “I Spy” and “Route 66” also used Yamashiro for filming. A premier Los Angeles destination, Yamashiro serves Japanese cuisine and sushi in the dining room with espansive windows providing amazing view. Or enjoy dinner in the courtyard zen-like garden.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF OJAI VALLEY INN

From page 43

PHOTO COURTESY OF YAMASHIRO

PHOTO COURTESY OF OSTERIA MOZZA

From page 42

Architecturally beautiful Los Angeles restaurants

BY JILL WEINLEIN

PHOTO COURTESY OF SPAGO

Sophisticated dining at Spago Located in the Golden Triangle, the stunning architecture of Spago Beverly Hills is just one reason diners are drawn to the Michelin-starred restaurant. The fine dining culinary experience continues to make Spago a destination for special occasions.

The cozy bar and romantic, al fresco dining terrace with a retractable ceiling create an inviting ambience. Olive trees and glass doors open to a bright interior dining room with a large skylight. Spago is the flagship restaurant of the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group. Co-owner Barbara Lazaroff confirmed the contemporary restaurant is getting a refresh. The private dining room is being renovated, and the bar, main dining room and patio terrace will get a face lift.

One-of-a-kind menu favorites include hearth baked breads including a buckwheat baguette, thin crispy sheets of Everything Carta Di Musica, and Japanese Milk bread rolls infused with tomato and basil. Cultured Vermont butter and smoked labneh accompany the bread box. Enjoy some of Spago’s signature dishes, like the sesame cones filled with spicy bigeye tuna; black squid ink farfalle with Maine lobster; and an Austrian veal wienerschnitzel pounded and fried until golden. Diners who want to splurge can order the chef’s multi-course tasting menu. For dessert, order the tableside Kaiserschmarrn, a thick pancake served with Gaviota strawberries,

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powdered sugar and strawberry gelato. Dinner service is Tuesday through Sunday starting at 5 p.m. wolfgangpuck.com/dining/spago. 176 N. Canon Drive, (310)385-0880.

PHOTOS BY JILL WEINLEIN

World-class architecture at Conrad Los Angeles The Frank Gehry designed Conrad Los Angeles opened in July 2022 as the newest Golden State luxury Hilton brand. The architectural lines of Gehry’s iconic and visionary Walt Disney Concert Hall are subtly replicated inside the hotel, embracing the vibrant creativity of Downtown L.A. The interior brings a layer of warmth and timeless elegance throughout the reception, lobby spaces and creative culinary venues helmed by award-winning chef and humanitarian José Andrés and his ThinkFoodGroup. The undulating ceiling in the lobby marries the building’s façade and lines. An 11,000 year old, polished and glazed molten lava piece is featured in the hotel bar. Dining venues are located on the 10th floor of the 28-story hotel. Aqua Viva provides rooftop dining during lunch, brunch and dinner.

Showcasing chef Andres’ Spanish roots while weaving Asian flavors into his dishes, some favorites include chilled gazpacho, patatas brava, and a chilled Maine lobster roll. Inside the hotel, San Laurel offers a Michelinrated dining experience from Chef Andrés that is open for breakfast and dinner service. The Spain meets California menu includes an avocado eggs Benedict, huevos “El Camino” and olive oil mini pancakes with seasonal berries. At sunset, guests enjoy perfectly crafted cocktails or a glass of Spanish wine while overlooking the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The San Laurel menu highlights perfectly cooked duck breast, lobster Salpicon, bone-in ribeye with potatoes and rack of lamb.

100 Grand Ave., (213)349-8585.

B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M 4 7

Tale of

Tail o’ the Pup, 1953, above, was a landmark at Beverly and La Cienega boulevards. Now, the Pup serves customers at the stand at 8512 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood.

B Y E D W I N F O LV E N

O

ne of the best examples of L.A.’s roadside programmatic architecture was also designed to make people hungry.

Shaped like the delicious hot dogs sold inside, Tail o’ the Pup opened in 1946 at Beverly and La Cienega boulevards. Designed by architect Milton Black, the walk-up hot dog stand became an instant favorite among local residents and visitors.

Roadside programmatic architecture is designed to catch the eye of passing motorists, and the 17-foot-long hot-dog-shaped building was an instant landmark. It moved a couple times to different locations on La Cienega Boulevard over the years to make way for new development before closing altogether in 2005. The 1933 Group, a company known for renovating and reopening classic L.A. businesses, purchased Tail o’ the Pup’s exterior shell in 2018, fixed it up and reopened the stand at 8512 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood on July 20, 2022 – National Hot Dog Day. “There was one major reason it was important to preserve Tail o’ the Pup – because it survived,” owner Bobby Green said. “It was one of the last surviving and still functional programmatic architecture examples in L.A. Imagine hundreds of these. They’re 4 8 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

all gone. Tail o’ the Pup is a survivor. It’s one of the last ones left.”

The city of Los Angeles designated Tail o’ the Pup as a cultural landmark in 2006. The Los Angeles Conservancy recently honored the 1933 Group with an award for preserving Tail o’ the Pup in July.

The beloved hot dog stand still serves classic hot dog varieties with a modern twist. They make their own mustard – zesty and tangy. The 1946 Pup has a split and grilled hot dog served on a toasted bun with grilled onions and mustard, and the 1976 Pup is a classic hot dog with ketchup and house mustard. Other favorites are the Baseball Pup, with a footlong hot dog, sweet relish, raw onions and mustard, and the Manhattan Pup, with sauerkraut, raw onion and house mustard. Hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, corn dogs, French fries and onion rings are also served, as well as shakes and soft serve ice cream.

Green said Tail o’ the Pup was part of the fabric of the local community and it’s important to protect that history.

“Programmatic architecture is basically a building meant to look like what it serves, what you’re going to get inside,” Green added. “It was too important to let it go. It’s great to bring Tail o’ the Pup back for future generations to enjoy.”

PHOTO BY MAXIM SHAPOVALOV

PHOTO COURTESY OF 1933 GROUP

Tail o’ the Pup

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LOS ANGELES PHOTOGRAPHERS PHOTO COLLECTION

Unpretentious barn holds history of Hollywood

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BY RANCE COLLINS

A quaint, unpretentious barn sits in the middle of a shaded parking lot on Highland Avenue near the Hollywood Bowl. It is home to the Hollywood Heritage Museum – a nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining and showcasing the history of the Hollywood film industry, particularly the early, silent and Golden Age eras.

The organization’s home is no accident. The barn began its life across town on Vine Street in 1901, at a time when orange groves covered the Los Angeles landscape. The barn served as a stable for Col. Robert Northam on his large estate. He sold the property to Jacob Stern just a few years later as Hollywood began to grow.

When Hollywood folded into the city of Los Angeles in 1911, the little hamlet began to emerge as studio-central for film companies. At the time, most of the movies being shot were one-or-tworeelers – or movies that were only five to 20 minutes long.

Enter the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company – which had recently brought in a guy named Cecil B. DeMille as a partner. For $250 a month, they leased the old Northam barn as a studio and began production on Feb. 14, 1914, for “The Squaw Man.” Upon its release, “The Squaw Man” was recognized as the first featurelength film produced in Hollywood.

After several mergers, the Lasky Company would become Paramount Pictures, and the barn would eventually be relocated to the current Paramount lot.

“In essence, this is the birthplace of Paramount Pictures,” Hollywood Heritage Museum president Bryan Cooper said. “Lasky and DeMille kind of felt like it was a lucky charm. It launched their company and made them successful. So, they felt like they wanted to keep the building … and had it moved to the Paramount lot.”

It sat on the edge of the studio’s western street backlot and was frequently seen in movies, particularly the 1956 Katharine Hepburn-Burt Lancaster film “The Rainmaker.” The interior morphed into the studio gym, which it remained as until 1979. The building was named a California State Historic Landmark in 1956, recognized as the first major studio in Hollywood.

When the Paramount western backlot was razed, the barn was donated to the Hollywood Historic Trust, and for many years it sat

The barn and former studio building was originally located at 1521 Vine St., then was moved to the Paramount Studios lot in the 1920s, where it spent the next 55 years. In October 1979, the Barn was relocated from Paramount Studios to a lot on Vine Street in Hollywood. After a preservation effort, the barn was relocated to its current, permanent site across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, and it is now open to the public as the Hollywood Heritage Museum.

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An exhibition dedicated to Academy Award-winning actress Norma Shearer is open through Oct. 16, 2023.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE

in a nearby parking lot, boarded up and going to rack and ruin. It was then donated to Hollywood Heritage in 1983, when it was relocated to its current, Highland Avenue location. Since then, Hollywood Heritage has operated it as a museum with an archive upstairs.

Nearly 100 years after Lasky and DeMille produced “The Squaw Man,” the barn was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

“It is [also] our home base,” Cooper said. “We also have the preservation resource center for people who have questions about historic preservation, but it is our main home base for anything related to Hollywood Heritage.”

Exhibitions rotate at the museum. Now on display is Academy Award-winning actress Norma Shearer with a special showing from collector Darin Barnes. Shearer was the third actress to win the Oscar, and she was considered the first lady of Metro Goldwyn Mayer, not only a top star but married to head of production Irving Thalberg. After Thalberg’s early death and her own retirement, she remained connected with MGM. When vacationing at a ski resort in the Sierra Nevada mountains, she spotted a picture of the 18-yearold daughter of a couple who worked there. The girl was named Jeanette Helen Morrison. Shearer found Morrison to be stunning, asked to keep the photo and sent it to casting at MGM. The girl was brought out to Hollywood, given a screen test, a contract and a new name. Within a couple years, the actress, now known as Janet Leigh, became one of the biggest stars in the world.

Leigh’s daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis, paid tribute to Shearer in conjunction with the exhibit’s announcement.

“Because of that miraculous moment, my mother had a glorious career in the film and television industry, married Tony Curtis and gave me life and the love of the same industry, that was so important to both of their lives,” Curtis said.

Memorabilia currently featured also showcases the 100th anniversary of the Hollywood sign.

The Hollywood Heritage Museum is located at 2100 N. Highland Ave. It is open on weekends from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. For information, visit hollywoodheritage.org.

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Bygone Bullocks Wilshire Tea room, women’s salon give way to law school

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the year, including the Wilshire Salon, which features guest speakers and tours, chief communications and marketing officer Steven Lopez said.

However, officials have discussed expanding the slate of public programming, Lopez added.

“We don’t have concrete plans at the moment, but it is being talked about,” he said.

Bullocks Wilshire was built in the 1920s in a very different Los Angeles. At the time, the city’s commercial hub was concentrated downtown, and by building the store west of MacArthur Park, then a stately suburban area, Bullock and his business partner P.G. Winnett took a considerable gamble – one that hinged on the increasing prominence of the automobile.

Their gamble paid off, according to Nicholas Beyelia, a Los Angeles Public Library historian.

“When Bullocks Wilshire opened on September 26, 1929, the turnout exceeded everyone’s expectations,” Beyelia wrote in an article about Bullocks Wilshire.

“People were stationed outside the store to peer in at the window displays and it was reported that that automobiles were lined up around the block looking to make a fashionable arrival. In keeping with the grandiosity of the event, shoppers arrived attired in their Sunday best.”

The store’s success was also largely owed to the father and son team of John and Donald Parkison who designed it, along with L.A. landmarks City Hall and the Memorial Coliseum.

Influenced by the Art Deco, Bauhaus and Modernist movements popular in 1920s Europe, Bullocks Wilshire “was a stately art deco confection of stone, terra cotta, copper and steel,” Beyelia said.

To accommodate automobiles, the main entrance was located in a port-cochere at the building’s rear. When visitors approached the building, the first thing they saw was a stunning mural by painter Herman Sachs, “The Spirit of Transportation,” a sprawling colorful artwork glorifying planes, trains, ships and automobiles, according to Beyelia.

In the Louis XVI Room, reflecting the décor of the Palace of Versailles, live “mannequins” would model clothing for wealthy women patrons.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SOUTHWESTERN LAW SCHOOL

J

ohn G. Bullock, who founded a chain of upscale department stores in the early 20th century, used to live in an apartment on the top floor of a building at the center of his luxury retail empire.

His apartment and office in Bullocks Wilshire, for years Los Angeles’ most prestigious shopping destination and one of the city’s most important cultural landmarks, was lined with ornate wood paneling into which intricate designs had been cut. A chandelier hung from the felt lined ceiling, and thick curtains opened to an expansive terrace where flowers lined the perimeter, and a small fountain peeked out of a raised garden smack in the terrace’s center.

The terrace now offers a clear view of downtown skyscrapers, but back in Bullock’s day, he would walk onto the patio, lined with patterned tile, and saw nothing but open land, said Fred Laemke, who worked at Bullocks Wilshire in the 1970s.

For Laemke, and many of the other hundreds of people who visited the historic Art Deco building on a recent Sunday, the building is a living relic of an era long passed. In an age of big-box stores and cookie cutter strip malls, people find increasing meaning in the adherence to sophistication and elegance that Bullocks Wilshire represented, Laemke said.

“The world that supported all of this, it doesn’t exist anymore,” Laemke added.

“You didn’t come here to go shopping.

This was an event. You spent the day.”

Nowadays, opportunities for the public to visit the building, currently home to Southwestern Law School, are rare. Visitors are invited to roam the halls during an open house held once a year, and the school hosts a few other events throughout

BY JOEY WALDINGER

Inside the building, each room served a different purpose, and no two were designed the same.

La Directoire, where evening wear and later fur goods were sold on the second floor, was designed in the style of a French drawing room. It was surrounded by murals by George de Winter invoking blockprint wallpaper fashionable in late 1700s Paris. When live mannequins entered the dressing rooms to model the gowns, employees dimmed the lights to match the setting in which the clothes were meant to be worn.

La Chinoiserie, later renamed The Chanel Room, carried fine accessories, including styles by Coco Chanel, whose trademark bronze monkeys stood guard at the doorway.

Often regarded as the most beloved room in the whole building, the Tea Room, on the fifth floor – the building’s top floor – was a favored hang out for civic leaders and Hollywood elite. Inside the airy room, where the walls were defined with brass inlays and covered with

Bullocks Wilshire was more than a department store. Historians have called it an essential part of Los Angeles’ development.

lattice and wallpaper, and thick cylindrical columns rose from floor to ceiling, patrons mingled over dishes of Bombay salad and orange rolls.

“It cannot be overstated that the Bullocks Wilshire building was an integral component in L.A.’s growth in terms of

both civic and commercial development,” Beyelia said.

But the city’s growth, fueled by the rise of the automobile, the building’s great inspiration, would ultimately lead to its demise. continues next page

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supported by a local community – Hancock Park, the Miracle Mile and Beverly Hills – and where a sense of decadence, a dedication to dress codes and manners, were paramount.

To step into Bullocks Wilshire, almost a century after its opening, is stepping into a living museum.

“You don’t see this kind of stuff anymore,” Laemke said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARTIN TURNBULL

Cars propelled suburban growth across the Los Angeles area, prompting a change in shopping habits as high-end stores opened farther west. Business dwindled at Bullocks Wilshire, and following a dispute among its directors, the store was sold in the 1980s to Federated Department Stores, which later became Macy’s Inc. Southwestern Law School purchased the building in bankruptcy proceedings in 1994, and over the course of a decade, spent more than $29 million renovating the historic structure.

“Drawing from original plans, archival photos and other historic documents, the law school refurbished or reproduced the property’s distinctive colors, decor and other details, while adapting the building to serve as a dynamic academic facility,” according to Southwestern Law School.

The law school has won plentiful awards for its careful renovations, and despite the modern innovations available to students, the historic feel is apparent to anyone who wanders the school’s halls.

Between stacks of thick textbooks in the Leigh H. Taylor Law Library, the second largest academic law library in California, a crystal chandelier descends from a painting depicting angels and mythical creatures.

In the Tea Room, now the school’s cafeteria, it’s easy to imagine the space, full of light and colorful blocky patterns, filling with Hollywood stars and L.A. power brokers.

Laemke, at 74 years old, describes himself as the last of a generation who worked at department stores like Bullocks, which were

The perfume hall at Bullocks Wilshire exemplified its regal Art Deco design.

POSTCARDS from

Known famously as “The Pretty Woman Hotel,” the Beverly Wilshire continues to be a world-class destination for the welltraveled, the Hollywood elite, presidents, and kings. President Barack Obama, the Emperor of Japan Hirohito, Princess Margaret and King Albert have been guests at the hotel. Steve McQueen, John Lennon, Elvis Presley and Warren Beatty have all lived in the hotel. It has withstood three earthquakes – in 1933, 1971 and 1994. Most recently, in 2022, the hotel completed a multi-million-dollar renovation, combining Old Hollywood glamour with modern, chic amenities. The Beverly Wilshire Hotel carries the mantle of luxury the city of Beverly Hills is known for. Walk through time with these postcards.

The iconic Beverly Wilshire opened its doors in January 1928 in Beverly Hills, on the former site of the Beverly Auto Speedway. At the time, the population of Beverly Hills was less than 1,000 and it was still undiscovered by Hollywood’s in-crowd.

Beginning with only one building built to withstand major earthquakes and designated an air raid shelter during World War II, this historically rich landmark added the Beverly Wing in 1971, along with the Mediterraneanstyle pool modeled after Sophia Loren’s private Italian villa. It was only 16 years later that this grande dame was added to the National Register of Historic Places, on June 12, 1987. continues on page 89

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF BEVERLY WILSHIRE HOTEL

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Tree People Teaching students – and adults – to better the enviroment

5 8 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

maybe, with an open mind and determination, change is possible.

“I feel like there’s a little bit of a doomer-ism out there, and TreePeople has a much more positive attitude,” Begley said. “We can do this. We’ve been doing this. Let us show you how.”

TreePeople’s roots lead back to a teenager in 1970.

That year, 15-year-old summer camp counselor Andy Lipkis learned how pollution was killing forests across Southern California. Fearful there would be no more trees by 2000, he set out to make a difference. Three years later, Lipkis raised $10,000 to plant 8,000 trees, and incorporated The California Conservation Project, which later became TreePeople.

In 1976, TreePeople established its headquarters in the current location, previously home to a Los Angeles Fire Department station.

Over the following decades, TreePeople logged one notable achievement after another, planting millions of trees, partnering with government agencies, influencing policy and winning acclaim from

elected officials.

The organization delved into social and environmental justice, planting trees and reducing water run-off pollution in densely populated, low-income neighborhoods, and grew its educational efforts.

Almost 15,000 students tour the Coldwater Canyon Park headquarters each year, getting a first-hand look at natural solutions to urban challenges, and TreePeople has also made strides to bring its lessons inside the classroom.

Its website serves as a hub of learning materials on topics from waste reduction to urban forestry, and with the Generation Earth initiative, TreePeople educators help middle and high school teachers craft innovative environmental action projects, giving students agency in the face of distressing climate challenges.

The Traveling Dirt Doctor, an educator who visits schools across the region, gives an interactive presentation showing the magic of mulch medicine, the importance of healthy soil and gifts each student a seedling to care for and grow.

This year is TreePeople’s 50th anniver-

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TREEPEOPLE

I

was sitting at a shaded picnic table in front of the TreePeople conference center, a concrete, glass and wood building overlooking the shrub-covered valley of Coldwater Canyon Park, when applause erupted inside, laughter rippled on the trail and songbirds flew above.

Trees and branches reflected in the glass windows displayed how the natural and built world intertwine. For 50 years, TreePeople has worked to protect Los Angeles’ urban canopy and open spaces, showing how nature can heal the city.

That ethos is at the heart of its headquarters, located at the park’s entrance, which serves as an urban oasis, laboratory and exhibition space for TreePeople’s policies, an educational facility and an inspiration for reimagining how to live in and build a sustainable city, said associate program manager Amanda Begley.

The climate catastrophe can sometimes feel overwhelming, but Begley hopes that visitors to TreePeople’s campus – whether students on a field trip, volunteers picking weeds, hikers on a walk or attendees at a show – will feel that hope is not lost. That

BY JOEY WALDINGER

sary, and it has transformed from a scrappy organization into the largest environmental nonprofit headquartered in Southern California. The Coldwater Canyon headquarters encapsulate everything learned over a half-century of research and advocacy.

Visitors arrive at a parking lot shaded by a variety of native and climate appropriate trees, making them more resilient to pest infection, and paved with material that reduces heat. It’s a short walk to the learning center, a 750-square-foot building made of reclaimed wood from the old fire station and outfitted with solar panels on the roof.

A gravel walkway leads to the conference center, one of the first buildings in Los Angeles to receive a platinum LEED certification – the highest environmental rating from the U.S. Green Building Council – which is topped by a sharply angled roof that deposits rainwater into an underground catchment system, helping TreePeople conserve more than 216,000 gallons of water this year, Begley said.

More than 15,000 students visit TreePeople each year, learning how to implement enivronmentally beneficial projects in their communities.

Inside, sparse space gleams in natural light, and recycled wood provides shade.

The cement ceiling and floor, which function as a natural cooling system, are made with 50% fly ash, a byproduct of burning coal, Begley said.

“It’s a way of taking a product and repurposing it for a positive solution,” Begley added.

Next to the conference center lies the urban watershed garden, where scaled replicas of single-family homes and the L.A. River demonstrate to visitors and students how nature-inspired solutions can avail some of the city’s most pressing environmental challenges.

Pathways constructed during the New continues next page

B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M 5 9

PHOTO BY JOEY WALDINGER

Deal in the 1930s lead to staircases that descend into the amphitheater, where an oak tree leans over a wooden stage, and the organization hosts talks, plays and concerts that raise funds for future programs. Like the conference center, the amphitheater also features recycled wood from old structures.

After a concert in May, experimental musician Beck posted to social media about his new favorite venue in the city, Begley added.

“I was project managing, so this was a good sign of approval,” she said.

TreePeople is resuming Once Upon a Canyon Night, a decades-long partnership with The Actors Conservancy Ensemble that brings performances to the amphitheater throughout the summer and fall.

The Improvised Shakespeare Company, one of the most lauded improv groups in the world, will take the stage on Sept. 23, turning audience suggestions into an unscripted Shakespearian masterpiece. On Oct. 29, an all-star Latinx cast will perform a theatrical reading of Latins’

The conference center received the highest environmental rating from the U.S. Green Building Council and helped the organization conserve 216,000 gallons of water this year.

Anonymous “Haunted Hacienda,” bringing to life a unique take on the origins of Dia de Los Muertos.

A space for performance and joy shrouded in trees, the amphitheater, like all other components of the organization’s headquarters, inspires visitors to imagine,

and help create, a different version of Los Angeles, Begley said.

“There’s a forest in our city,” Begley said. “So often we think about cities being freeways and concrete and pavement ... we can do things a different way, we can all play a part in that.”

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El Capitan celebrates movie magic B Y E D W I N F O LV E N

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El Capitan Theatre welcomes audiences for classic Disney films and first-run movies.

introduce the films from the stage, and audience members are encouraged to dress as their favorites and take part in fun interactive fan activities.

The El Capitan Theater has been a Hollywood icon since 1926, when it originally debuted as a space for live theater. Built by Sid Grauman and real estate developer Charles Toberman, the El Capitan has operated as a movie theater since 1941, welcoming generations of film fans. With something for everyone, the El Capitan Theatre remains a place where memories are made and the magic of the movies lives forever.

PHOTO BY EDWIN FOLVEN

Disney magic comes to life at the El Capitan Theatre, where fans of all ages flock to see classics like “Cinderella,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast,” and newer movies such as “Coco,” “Elemental” and “Haunted Mansion.”

Arrive early to get an up-close look at props and costumes from the featured films, take photos and get some popcorn. Before every show, enjoy a live performance on the theater’s 4/37 Wurlitzer organ, which dates to the 1920s and features four keyboards and 37 ranks of pipes. Step back in time in the ornately decorated auditorium and let the curtain rise.

The El Capitan Theater has been a favorite for families and fans of the “House of Mouse” since the Walt Disney Company acquired the venue in 1989. Theater designer Joseph J. Musil led an extensive restoration, paying attention to every ornate detail of the building’s history. The process was designed to give audiences a movie-going experience unlike any other, steeped in history while offering the latest sound and production technology. Iconic Disney characters

PARAMOUNT STUDIOS entrance was pushed back to Melrose Avenue, the old Marathon Street gate, with a picturesque fountain in front of it, sits within the campus. It’s one of the most popular stops for tours, which run every day.

For many years, Alfred Hitchcock called Paramount Studios home, with some of his classics like “The Man Who Knew Too Much, “To Catch a Thief” and “Vertigo” all filmed on the lot. He used the large Stage 18 to great effect when he utilized the space for “Rear Window.” The full-scale apartment courtyard, along with adjoining, full-set apartments was built into the stage’s basement area, so that the upper-floor apartment inhabited by James Stewart, where virtually all of the action is set, could be stage level. The impressive set piece became the backdrop for one of the Master of Suspense’s tensest tales.

The longest production tenants over Paramount’s history include “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “Dr. Phil,” both of which wrapped this year. When one show or film ends, however, another always takes its place. Solomon said that in recent years, stages have remained routinely full year-round, saying the studio is “always, always busy.”

“It think people like shooting here because we’re structured,” he added.

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RKO Radio Pictures was the original name of the studios on Melrose at Gower, where the RKO globe continues to stand.

Walking between the stages, ornate plaques point out the various productions that have shot inside. As new entertainment consistently makes its way in and out of the gates and the stages’ elephant doors, these plaques serve as a reminder that Hollywood’s history is ever-evolving and interconnected. “Coming to America” shot in the same stage as “A Place in the Sun,” “Nip/Tuck” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” When one set comes down, another goes up. When one producer moves out of an office, another moves in. When star falls, another rises. Just as they moved in and out of the Paramount lot, so will stars for many eons to come. Time continues, and for roughly 100 (or so) years the Paramount lot has served as a thread between what was and what will be.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LOS ANGELES LIBRARY COLLECTION

From page 40

BY RANCE COLLINS

The El Pasadero, built in 1930, is one of the oldest apartment buildings in the Harper District.

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W

hile West Hollywood was not incorporated as a city until 1984, its history dates back to the early days of Tinsel Town, with many of its clubs, businesses and homes being part of the fabric of Los Angeles. Nestled between The Sunset Strip and the main corridor of Santa Monica Boulevard, the Harper District contains eight apartment buildings, all built between 1926-31, that stand as testaments to West Hollywood’s storied past.

The historic district was designated in 1992, one of the earliest selections in West Hollywood.

“West Hollywood believes that the cultural resources are an important component of the city, especially as it really relates to the city’s history,” senior planner Doug Vu said. “The city made a commitment to recognize and designate buildings and properties that feel significant to the history of West Hollywood as a city.”

Built into various revival styles popular to the period, the complexes were considered the epitome of luxury. At 1335-36 Harper Ave., the Casa Granada features architect Leland Bryant’s penchant for glamour. The unique, L-shaped building with an inviting outdoor, foyer-style courtyard attracted some of the era’s top stars, including Joe. E Brown and Norma Talmadge. Each stately unit has its own entrance.

“I think it’s just a beautiful sort of representation of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture and within this specific building, it has elements of what’s called Churrigueresque architectural style, which was native to Spain and parts of northern Africa,” Vu said. “So, [it has] beautiful ornamentation and detailing. I think it just exemplifies why this building is just so special.”

The Villa Primavera, a Spanish-style building located at 1300 Harper Ave. also features a central courtyard and was designed by Arthur and Nina Zwebell. With a stone fountain and outdoor fireplace, luminaries like James Dean and Katharine Hepburn once called the location home, and it was memorably used in the Humphrey Bogart film “In a Lonely Place.”

The French Chateau-style Four Gables, located at 8250-62 Fountain Ave., is a stunning combination of gothic and Tudor elements. It has a striking, though small, corner

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CITY OF WEST HOLLYWOOD

Harper District showcases marvels of WeHo’s past

tower, gabled dormers on the roofline structed in the Monterey Revival style. and masonry chimneys.

The Casa Real, built in 1931 at The Patio Del Moro at 8225-37 1354 Harper Ave., has exceptional orFountain Ave. has Moorish touches to namental ironwork and red-clay tiles its Spanish Revival style. These inthat set it apart from the rest of the clude a horseshoe-arched entrance street’s buildings. tunnel, tiled fountains, pointed-arch “[The Harper] District talks about doorways and fireplaces and a copperhow these buildings are like touch domed Tunisian tower. points,” Vu said. “It [also] relates to At 1301-90 Harper Ave., the apartment living in West Hollywood Bryant-designed Spanish Colonial and how these buildings were deRevival and Churrigueresque-inspired signed in response to the prevalence Romanesque Villa, beyond its stunof the automobile. The fact that ning design, was the site of an infathey’re located in Southern California, mous love triangle between Marlene and so they were designed to take adDietrich and Josef and Riza Von The ornamental metalwork at Casa Real sets it apart vantage of the beautiful weather that from the other Harper Avenue buildings.

Sternberg. Josef Von Sternberg was a we have down here. These buildings frequent director of Dietrich’s films, and their affair ended in the were in large part developed in response to the need for housing Von Sternbergs’ divorce. that was created by the massive [explosion of the] motion picture The El Pasadero at 1330 Harper Ave. was designed by Arthur industry here in Southern California.”

Hawes, and it has three wings which form the building’s narrow The Harper District can be easily walked along Fountain and courtyard, which is designed to look like a Spanish street scene. Harper avenues. For information on the Harper District, visit The Villa Sevilla at 1338-52 Harper Ave. has a distinctive second- walkingtours.wehopreservation.org/harper-avenue-historic-disstory cantilevered balcony across its front façade, and it was con- trict-tour.

B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M 6 7

Witch’s House brings a bit of magic to Beverly Hills

PHOTO BY MICHAEL PINTO

BY JOEY WALDINGER

Owner Michael J. Libow stands proudly in front of the hauntingly charming Witch’s House.

L

ike something out of a storybook, the Witch’s House in the Flats of Beverly Hills pops off the page.

Surrounded by immaculately polished English and Spanish style homes, the Witch’s House’s roof sags and bends. Two thin, steep turrets poke into the sky, clapboard windows let in light and the exterior paint appears worn down by years of weather. The garden, where a bridge spans a moat and shadowy animal sculptures hide amid foliage, is gated by eccentrically curved wood sandwiched between stone barriers.

Built more than 100 years ago by Willat Studios in Culver City, the Witch’s House 6 8 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

was used as a backdrop for “Hansel and Gretel” and other silent films. But when a Willat executive learned of plans to demolish the cottage, he moved it to Beverly Hills in 1924 to be turned into a functioning home.

The home is now a beloved part of Beverly Hills. In a 2014 article for Los Angeles Magazine, a writer recalled trick-or-treating at the house throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, drawn by the dry ice emanating from the moat and “The Haunted Mansion” soundtrack bellowing from a second story window.

The Witch’s House went dark sometime in the ‘90s, and was resurrected by realtor

Michael J. Libow, who fell in love with the house while showing it to clients in 1998.

“Here was this one off, bizarre home that caught my attention because it was whimsical and was different than anything else,” Libow said.

Libow was looking for a home of his own, and fearing it would be torn down if sold to one of his clients, he decided to purchase it himself – after assuring the prior owner he had no plans to demolish it. Quite the opposite, Libow began an almost-decade long journey to execute his exacting vision of a house that straddles the line between “kitsch and cool,” he said.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL PINTO

Michael J. Libow takes great pride in the joy his home provides to visitors and residents of Beverly Hills.

Michael J. Libow

As a former movie set, the property was missing the “flow or natural elements” of a livable home, and to imbue that homely feel back into the property, Libow found his North Star some 6,000 miles away, in the fantastical style of Barcelona’s Antoni Gaudí, he said.

“It was the perfect inspiration to [do] what I thought was required to make it look like a 300-year-old cottage with amorphous shapes and chaotic tiles,” Libow said.

Emulating Gaudí’s work, however, was no easy feat.

“When I purchased it, it looked like a really bad 1960s bordello,” Libow said. “Every floor had red shag carpet … [there were] acoustical ceilings, sliding glass doors. It had nothing to do with the façade of the home.”

Every basic element, from woodwork to windows to doors, had to be custom built. The lot was void of trees, and contractors had to move them into the yard by crane.

Libow also gave new life to a dysfunctional old moat, building a new bridge over it and stocking the water with koi fish, which enjoy protection from herons and other predators wandering over from the Los Angeles Country Club, he said.

As for his favorite aspect of the house, Libow loves the kitchen, which features a oneof-a-kind stove from France, as well as the garden – specifically a free-form lagoon in the pool where every inch is covered by hand-laid, broken mosaic tile.

While Libow said no home is ever complete, and he is constantly making repairs or furnishing elements of the interior, the Witch’s House’s stature as a beloved Beverly Hills landmark has long been cemented.

Under Libow’s care, the home has resumed its status as a Halloween hotspot.

Noah Margo, currently president of the Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education, campaigned there one Halloween, passing out candy bars with stickers urging for votes and is one of many Beverly Hills residents with fond memories tied to the Witch’s House, also called the Spadena House. City Councilwoman Sharona Nazarian used to take her three children trick-or-treating there, she said.

“The iconic Witch’s House served as a cornerstone of a secure environment where [kids] could safely trick-or-treat with their friends and neighbors while creating lasting memories,” Nazarian said. “It was community at its best.”

The Witch’s House is also one of the city’s biggest tourist attractions, drawing busloads of visitors to take photos of the house.

Far from being annoyed by the hubbub, Libow, born and raised in Beverly Hills, welcomes the recognition.

“My legacy in the neighborhood is to allow people to enjoy my home,” he said.

“Sometimes I pass by pretending to be another tourist, and it’s always wonderful to hear how people feel about the home. Everyone finds it joyful in a world where there’s not enough joy.”

B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M 6 9

PHOTO BY ADAM LATHAM

Hollywood Bowl melds the beauty of music and nature

The Hollywood Bowl has welcomed guests at concerts under the stars for more than 100 years.

N

estled in a naturally concave hillside off Highland Avenue in the Cahuenga Pass, the Hollywood Bowl has been a Los Angeles cultural icon since 1922. As the city’s premiere summer venue for classical music and blockbuster

7 0 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

B Y E D W I N F O LV E N

concerts, the Bowl has been a special place for generations to enjoy a night of entertainment under the stars.

The idea for a permanent space for the performing arts in the picturesque Hollywood Hills dates to 1916, when a community

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL

production of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caeser” was held in nearby Beachwood Canyon. The play was so popular it sparked a desire to build a permanent venue for elaborate productions. The city’s patrons of the arts set out to find funding and make the dream a reality.

The Theatre Arts Alliance Inc. and its president Christine Wetherill Stevenson oversaw the initiative. In 1919, the alliance purchased 59 acres in a popular picnic area known as Daisy Dell in the Cahuenga Pass for $47,500 and work began on the Hollywood Bowl.

Before the historic venue opened, the initial committee transformed into the Community Park and Art Association, which became the Bowl’s first operator. The amphitheater’s teardrop-shaped seating area was designed by noted Pasadena architect Myron Hunt, The Hollywood Bowl’s bandshell was built to maximize acoustics. and the first bandshell was created by Allied Architects of Los Angeles. The inaugural and 1928 Los Angeles Philharmonic seasons, and Allied Archiseason opened on July 11, 1922, with Alfred Hertz conducting the tects of Los Angeles created the fourth bandshell, which lasted Los Angeles Philharmonic. from 1929-2003. In 1970 and 1980, famed architect Frank Gehry The Hollywood Bowl’s famous bandshell was replaced four made acoustic improvements to the bandshell. The Hollywood times from 1926-29 to improve acoustics. Lloyd Wright, son of Continued on page 72 architect Frank Lloyd Wright, designed bandshells for the 1927

B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M 7 1

Bowl underwent a major renovation in 2003 and the bandshell was replaced with a larger shell by Hodgetts + Fung Design Associates and Gruen Associates.

Another striking architectural feature greets audiences at the entrance to the Hollywood Bowl. George Stanley’s 15-foot-high Streamline Moderne granite fountain “Muse of Music” was unveiled in 1940. Stanley is also well-known for his design for the Oscar statuette.

Since it opened, the Hollywood Bowl has attracted top musical talent from around the world. Long synonymous with classical music, it remains the summer home of the LA Phil. Notable figures who have graced the Bowl’s stage include Igor Stravinsky, who conducted the Nutcracker and his Firebird Suite at the Bowl

7 2 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

in 1940. Conductor Zubin Mehta made his Hollywood Bowl debut in 1961, later serving as the LA Phil’s music director from 1962-78. Today, the philharmonic’s current Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel regularly conducts the orchestra on the Hollywood Bowl stage.

The 17,500-seat venue has also been home to operas, dance programs, world and folk music concerts, theatrical productions, movies and the annual Fourth of July Fireworks Show. Jazz concerts became a standard at the Bowl in the 1930s, and over the years the venue hosted greats such as Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. The summer Jazz at the Bowl series has been a perennial draw since 1980.

The Hollywood Bowl’s stage has also hosted pop music concerts by some of the biggest musical artists of all time such as The Beatles, The Doors, Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Jackson 5 and U2. In 2023, the Bowl featured concerts by Janet Jackson and the Beach Boys, as well as many top contemporary artists. The Hollywood Bowl was recognized as the Outdoor Concert Venue of the Year in the country at the 34th annual Pollstar Awards in February.

Celebrating its 100th anniversary last year, with sweeping views of the foothills, preeminent acoustics and welcoming atmosphere, the Bowl remains an important part of what makes Hollywood the entertainment capital of the world.

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Conservancy builds a bridge to L.A.’s past

BY RANCE COLLINS

S

ince 1978, the Los Angeles Conservancy has led the charge in keeping the city’s past alive, working to vibrantly shape the future with echoes of its rich architectural history.

The nonprofit was established as part of a citywide effort to save the Central Library, a 1926 structure in downtown that came close to facing the wrecking ball despite being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. The conservancy’s website notes that the building is a forbearer of modern architecture, combining influences from Roman, Egyptian, Spanish Colonial and Islamic styles.

“The nascent conservancy spearheaded a citizens’ task force for Central Library Development to seek a viable solution that addressed the functional needs of the library and the cultural significance of the historic building,” the conservancy’s website reads.

“The task force included representatives from downtown corporations such as ARCO, as well as librarians, developers, architects and city officials. The conservancy also organized a grassroots campaign in response to a proposal to demolish the library to construct an entirely new facility.”

7 4 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

Once closed seemingly for good, 15 years of careful work saving and restoring the library by the conservancy led to a grand reopening ceremony on Oct. 3, 1993. The conservancy saved it, and the building is still used as the Los Angeles Public Library hub.

This is just one of many success stories for which the conservancy is responsible. Historically, the organization advocated successfully on behalf of the May Company building, now the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the Chase Knolls Garden Apartments, the Herald Examiner Building and the Wiltern and Pellissier Building.

“Preservation is fundamentally about managing change in our communities, to ensure we balance the need for growth and development alongside the preservation, revitalization and reuse of historic places,” senior director of advocacy at the L.A. Conservancy Adrian Scott Fine said.

Fine noted that the 45-year-old conservancy collaborates “with property owners, public officials and other stakeholders to find mutually beneficial solutions.”

Some long-fought efforts have led to disappointment, including

PHOTO COURTESY OF LOS ANGELES CENTRAL LIBRARY

The proposed demolition of the Los Angeles Central Library led to the formation of the L.A. Conservancy. The group saved the library, originally built in 1926.

PHOTO BY MAXIM SHAPOVALOV

Adrian Scott Fine Senior Director of Advocacy, L.A. Conservancy

The conservancy played a role in preserving the Formosa Café.

The ambitious project by the 1933 Group revived the glamorous Hollywood landmark.

See page 38 for full story.

the recent demolition of the Chase Bank/Lytton Savings building on Sunset Boulevard, a modernist structure that was the subject of a long-fought battle between developers and preservationists. Fine noted the destruction of the Ambassador Hotel as the conservancy’s biggest disappointment, when the Los Angeles Unified School District won out in clearing the historic property to build a new school.

But for every disappointment, the conservancy boasts several success stories. In recent years, the nonprofit has helped keep major L.A. historic sites like Television City, Century Plaza Hotel, the Formosa Cafe, the Kronish House and the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Building alive.

“When we preserve a place, we help ensure its stories, layers of history and connections to people are fully acknowledged, understood and represented through the physical place in which these experiences occurred,” Fine said.

Currently, the conservancy is helping to preserve LGBTQ+ rights leader Morris Kight’s residence and the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed, Spanish Colonial Revivalstyle Complex Theatre and Studios, located at 6480 Santa Monica Blvd.

When it comes to choosing which projects to take on, Fine said that the conversancy typically responds to specific continues on page 76

B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M 7 5

L.A. Conservancy

PHOTO COURTESY OF LOS ANGELES CENTRAL LIBRARY

from page 75

threats, while also working to foster stronger policies and incentives for preservation.

“We work on a vast range of preservation issues proactively and in response to specific threats to historic resources,” he explained. “Through the help of intervention criteria, we prioritize our preservation efforts to ensure they align with the organization’s vision, mission and strategic goals.”

The L.A. Conservancy also holds walking tours and special events to help spread historical knowledge within the community.

“Old and historic places help us all better understand our past, contributions and how far we’ve come. Also, it often makes good economic and environmental sense to reinvest in existing places through their adaptive reuse for housing and other uses to transform, revitalize and build community.”

For information, visit laconservancy.org.

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An extensive renovation effort revived the house in line with the architects’ original vision.

The building that galvanized a movement

KRONISH HOUSE B E V E R LY H I L L S

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Of the three houses built by renowned modernist architect Richard Neutra in Beverly Hills, the Kronish House, on Sunset Boulevard, is the only one that survives intact.

A one-story, approximately 7,000square foot home featuring three wings radiating from a glass-enclosed garden, with clean horizontal lines and fine finishes lending a villa-like feel, the residence exemplifies the best of International Style architecture, and stands as a testament to the power of collective action.

Neutra designed the home for real estate developer Herbert Kronish, who had purchased the property from Shirley Temple in the 1950s. More than six decades later, a new owner listed the

PHOTO COURTESY OF DOCOMOMO US

BY JOEY WALDINGER

home for sale, threatening to tear it down.

After demolition proceedings had already begun in 2011, preservationists in Beverly Hills sent more than 600 letters and emails to city officials pleading to save the home.

In October 2011, a new owner purchased the home to save it from demolition – at the suggestion of the architects who ultimately led the renovation, according to the L.A. Conservancy.

The home suffered from years of neglect and deferred maintenance, and the project team worked carefully to bring it back to life.

“During the restoration, non-original housing additions were removed, and missing windows and hardware were recreated and replaced,” according to the American Society of Landscape Architects.

The restoration team referenced photos of the interiors, façade and landscape, bringing back the built-in planters, stairs and sloping lawn that Neutra had envisioned. They remodeled the pool house, added a guest house, removed overgrown shrubs and planted new flora that better fit the house’s color palette.

The restoration also touched off a renewed preservation effort in Beverly Hills. The conservancy, Dion Neutra, Richard’s son and the city of Beverly Hills established a robust preservation program in 2015.

Following a vote by the City Council, on April 7, 2015, the Kronish House was designated a local historic landmark.

“The outcome is a testament to the very hard work of many people, the willingness of the city of Beverly Hills and the owner to give preservation a chance, and the power of public support,” the conservancy said.

B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M 7 9

Speed and

poetry in motion

B Y E D W I N F O LV E N

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM

T

The Petersen Automotive Museum’s exterior embodies speed and motion.

8 0 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

he Petersen Automotive Museum’s shiny steel ribbons swirl around the striking monument to car culture and the automobile, gleaming like the hundreds of unique and vintage vehicles housed within its expansive collection.

Considered to be the best automotive museum in the world, the Petersen offers an immersive experience covering all aspects of the automotive universe. Visitors learn about the origins of motorized travel, the history of auto manufacturing and the evolution of design.

Exhibits dedicated to car manufacturers parade through the showrooms. Displays paying tribute to racing history and famous cars from movies and television dazzle museum guests.

For a special treat, tour the vault, which houses 270 of the rarest vehicles in the world.

Opened in 1994 by publishing magnate Robert E. Petersen (1926-2007), founder of Hot Rod magazine and Motortrend, the museum was always intended to be a mecca for auto enthusiasts. Located in a building that

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM

The Vault at the Petersen Automotive Museum houses hundreds of the rarest vehicles in the world.

once housed Ohrbach’s department store, Petersen’s dream had long been to modernize, update and improve the institution, said executive director Terry Karges, who joined the Petersen Automotive Museum in 2012. That transformation came in 2014-15 and was led by board members Bruce Meyer, David Sydorick and Peter Mullin. After they secured funding and a revolutionary design was created, the museum closed for 14 months and underwent a $90-million renovation.

Karges said one of the most compelling aspects of the project is the design by Gene Kohn, of New York City-based architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox, which was unanimously admired by the museum’s board upon first sight. Karges said the prerequisite was that the design had to “represent speed and/or motion,” and KPF created a masterpiece.

“Gene Kohn came out, made a major presentation to us and it was spectacular,” Karges said. “In fact, the design that they brought to us, I don’t believe had been changed more than just a tiny bit.

The lines that they created are the lines that you see outside.”

Karges likened construction of the exterior steel ribbons to putting together a giant erector set. He also credited the expertise of contractor MATT Construction, which completed the particularly challenging job in 14 months.

“We closed the museum Oct. 14, 2014, and announced then that we would open on time and on budget on Dec. 5, 2015,” Karges added. “We were told, ‘you don’t do that, no one does that. You don’t take a project this big and announce you’re going to open on time and on budget.’ You know what, we did it.”

Trent Tesch, a design principal at KPF, said the exterior is among the most unique of any museum in the world. He directly worked on the Petersen project with Kohn, who died in March 2023. From the beginning, the goal was to create something special, and it is still a source of great pride for KPF, Tesch said.

“It’s such an iconic building. The first time I saw the ribbons

going up and I was coming down Wilshire, my heart was beating faster just seeing it,” Tesch said. “It has such a presence along Wilshire and Fairfax. I think it achieved all the goals that they were trying to achieve.”

Tesch said the curved ribbons convey speed and motion, and illustrate the sightlines and curves of an automobile. He said members of the board chose the brilliant red color, also representative of a fast car, for the walls under the steel ribbons. The building is thoroughly cleaned multiple times a year to keep its shiny exterior gleaming.

“Peter [Mullin] – very clearly at one of our generative meetings – said let’s make everything curved, so there’s really not a straight line on the building,” Tesch added. “Car guys … love the curves of the car, the body of the car and everything about it that represents speed and elegance. All of these words just kept coming across to us, so when it came time for the design, we imagined a series of these lines that would wrap around the building.”

As striking as the exterior is, Karges said the project would not have been complete without a full restoration to the museum’s interior and exhibit spaces. Scenic Route, a company specializing in sets for concerts, television and major trade shows, created the exhibition space.

“It was quickly decided, if you do the exterior, you can’t not touch the interior,” Karges said. “Essentially, the museum had been the same for 20 years. Scenic Route came in to do the interior and they’re spectacular. As time went along, we ended up putting a party together and visited 33 museums around the world to get a look at best practices, what are the things to do and the things not to do.”

The Petersen Automotive Museum stays true to its mission of generating excitement and passion about the automobile, and education has always been a major component. More than 100,000 students visit the museum each year, and the goal is to instill a B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M 8 1

passion about cars at an early age, Karges said.

Current exhibits include “Splendor & Speed: Treasures of the Petersen Collection,” “Inside Tesla: Supercharging the Electric Revolution” and “We Are Porsche: 40 Vehicles/75 Years of Amazing Stories.” The “Cars of Film and Television” exhibit, with vehicles from “Black Panther,” “Back to the Future,” “Ghostbusters” and “Batman,” is a perennial crowd-pleaser.

Karges said the transformational project of 2014-15 made the Pe-

tersen a world-class institution, and just as cars evolve, the board and administration always keeps an eye toward the future. He once asked Robert Petersen’s longtime aide Gigi Carleton what the museum’s founder and namesake might have thought about the finished project.

“Gigi, his personal aide for 48 years, said that he would be smiling, this is exactly what he would want, just the way he would have wanted it,” Karges said.

“We take that as a as a pretty good reference.”

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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM

The Petersen takes visitors through an interactive history covering every facet of the automotive industry.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LOS ANGELES THEATRES BLOGSPOT

BY RANCE COLLINS

On Nov. 7, 1963, “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World” premiered at the Cinerama Dome, its inaugural film.

It’s been six months since filmmaker and journalist Simon Thompson took a photo of the adjacent Arclight’s eerie interior.

Plywood boards that were fixed to the windows in 2020, when the venue, located at 6369 Sunset Blvd., “temporarily” closed during the pandemic, had started to fall off. Inside, the theater appears frozen in time, with posters for 2020 releases like “The Invisible

Man” and “The Way Back” visible behind the ticket counter.

Thompson uploaded the photo to Twitter, and it received roughly 2 million impressions, with former patrons of the famed multiplex eulogizing the location.

“It’s just such a loved location by the casual movie goer, because continues next page

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E.T. opened June 11, 1982.

further updates have been put forth.

Thompson said that the large venue could be utilized in many different ways.

“I’m surprised that it hasn’t even partially opened in some way.

You could open the top or the bottom [floor], which would then create revenue. I have ideas for the Arclight coming out of my ears.

I think it could be utilized not just as a movie theater, but also so many other things. I’m really amazed that the industry hasn’t come together. There’s no reason why part of it can’t be turned into production suites or studios.”

“I think if anything, the reaction to my simple tweet of looking through a window – in a time where so many people do question how many people go to movie theaters – [it shows] that is a location in the heart of the industry where people are genuinely [saying], ‘If they opened tomorrow, I would go.’”

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it feels a little fancy, and the cinephile because they treat film really respectfully, and the staff are all informed film lovers,” Thompson said after publishing the photo. “They’re not just people doing a job. There’s a respect amongst the clientele where people shut up nd they turn their phones when they watch a movie. So, the Cinerama Dome and the Arclight are kind of the church – the big cathedral for movie goers in Los Angeles.”

The Cinerama Dome opened in November 1963, showcasing a curved screen for films shot in the large-format process Cinerama.

The first movie screened was “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,” in its inaugural engagement. The site has hosted numerous premieres over the years, as well as making appearances in movies like “Frost/Nixon” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Its unique domed exterior, designed by architect Pierre Cabrol, and significance has led to its designation as a Los Angeles historicalcultural monument. The Arclight theater initially opened next to the Cinerama Dome as an upscale multiplex in March 2002.

The Cinerama Dome and the Arclight multiplex were operated by the Decurion Corporation, the company that also owned Pacific Theatres. Decurion announced in April 2021 that it would be closing both of its theatrical chains.

“This was not the outcome anyone wanted, but despite a huge effort that exhausted all potential options, the company does not have a viable way forward,” a statement issued to the Los Angeles Times read.

Aside from a few reports saying the theater would reopen, no

One of the longest-running shows in Hollywood B Y E D W I N F O LV E N

S

ince 1939, Pink’s Hot Dogs has stayed true to its time-tested recipe for success by offering delicious hot dogs to hungry crowds that line up on La Brea Avenue.

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A

n important part of Hollywood history, the stand was started by Paul and Betty Pink with a $50 pushcart on land they leased for $15 a month near the corner of La Brea and Melrose avenues. From meager beginnings, Pink’s Hot Dogs transformed over the years into an iconic destination for hot dog-lovers from around the world.

The Pinks’ story is filled with twists and turns, just like a Hollywood movie. When the landlord raised the rent from $15 to $25 in 1941, they were forced to cook up a new plan. After securing a $4,000 loan, the Pinks bought the property, added a cover to the pushcart and also started selling hamburgers. The pushcart remained until 1946, when the Pinks saved enough money to build the stand at 709 N. La Brea Ave. At the time, Pink’s famous hot dogs sold for 25¢.

Over the years, the Pink family has continued the legacy of offering mouthwatering food in a convenient and causal environment. Pink’s Hot Dogs is owned and operated by Paul and Betty’s children, Richard Pink and his sister Beverly Pink-Wolfe, as well as Richard’s wife Gloria. The stand itself has changed very little, with expansive open windows giving customers a bird’s-eye view of the hot dogs sizzling on the grill. Richard Pink said that was intentional, as the experience of going to Pink’s is all part of the fun.

“Pink’s faces the sidewalk, so people can watch the food being prepared, can line up on the sidewalk and it’s a real experience.

Pink’s is all about food and the experience, and we try to create as many experiences as possible,” he said.

Pink’s Hot Dogs is a favorite among celebrities, and part of the experience is viewing the hundreds of autographed photos in the dining room of Hollywood stars who also enjoy the stand’s fare.

Many of the hot dogs on the menu are named after the celebrity clientele, such as the Drew’s News Dog (named for Drew Barrymore), a 12-inch jalapeno dog topped with mustard, chili, onions, three slices of bacon and shredded cheddar cheese; the Martha Stewart Dog, a nine-inch stretch dog with relish, onions, three strips of bacon, chopped tomatoes, sauerkraut and sour cream; and the Emeril Legasse Bam Dog, a nine-inch stretch dog with mustard, onions, cheese, jalapenos, three strips of bacon and coleslaw. Like it hot? Enjoy an Ozzy Spicy Dog with a spicy Polish dog, nacho and American cheese, grilled onions, guacamole and chopped tomatoes. For a taste inspired by Hollywood itself, order a La La Land Dog with a nine-stretch dog topped with guacamole, chopped tomatoes, bacon bits and a swizzle of sour cream.

Pink said his parents designed the stand with the original pushcart in mind, keeping the tradition of having close interaction with customers. It’s something that Pink’s will never change, he added.

“They wanted to duplicate the look and feel of a pushcart. People say it has such a nostalgic feel, they really enjoy it because it’s like going back in time,” Pink added. “They created that experience where people can line up and see the staff moving around inside. I’ve always joked that it’s one of the longest-running shows in Hollywood.”

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Capitol Records adds musical spin to Hollywood’s skyline

PHOTO BY EDWIN FOLVEN

B Y E D W I N F O LV E N

The mural in front of the Capitol Records building pays tribute to the legends with “Hollywood Jazz: 1945-1972.”

D

esigned to resemble a stack of vinyl records, the Capitol Records building has towered over Hollywood and Vine since 1956.

Conceived by architect Louis Naidorf while working for the prestigious firm Welton Becket Associates, the 13-story Capitol Records building pushed the boundaries of conventionality. It was the world’s first circular office building and continues to be an eye-catching example of modern architecture illustrating Hollywood’s bright future. It serves as headquarters for the record label’s West Coast operations.

The round tower sits atop a rectangular first-floor building housing the lobby. The first circular level is recessed six feet from the upper floors to give the tower the appearance of floating on air. A circular sign atop the 150-foot-tall building bears the Capitol Records name, and a blinking red light that has been flashing since 1956 spells out “Hollywood” in Morse code. The 82-foot steel spire on the roof resembles a stylus on a phonograph.

Thirty feet below the ground level lobby are the world-famous Capitol Studios, the first created for high-fidelity recording. Famed guitarist Les Paul helped design the echo chambers and three studios, which were built to minimize noise and vibration.

8 8 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

Capitol Records and Frank Sinatra had a long relationship, and the first album recorded at the tower was “Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color” in 1956. Many other worldfamous musical artists followed, including Duke Ellington, Dean Martin, Nat “King” Cole, Carole King, Ray Charles and Bob Dylan. The Beach Boys recorded “Surfin’ U.S.A.” at Capitol Studios. Capitol Records released 11 albums by the Beatles, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame stars of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr are all located on Vine Street in front of the Capitol Records building.

Capitol Records is inextricably tied to jazz and artists such as Stan Kenton, Peggy Lee and Miles Davis. The southern exterior wall on the building’s first floor is adorned with the mural “Hollywood Jazz: 1945-1972” paying tribute to the record label and jazz greats such as Davis, Nat “King” Cole, Billie Holliday, Chet Baker, Tito Puente, Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie. Artist Richard Wyatt painted the mural in 1990, and painstakingly restored it in 2012.

Long considered an important part of the Hollywood skyline, Capitol Records, and its rooftop sign and spire, was designated as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 857 on Nov. 15, 2006.

MAGIC CASTLE

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BEVERLY WILSHIRE HOTEL

From page 36

ment program. William started the Academy of Magical Arts in 1952, which today boasts about 6,000 members.

“My grandfather wanted this club for magicians without politics, just for magic lovers,” Erika said.

When William died the following year, his sons kept the magic alive, and a decade later opened the Magic Castle, which has remained the preeminent magician hub worldwide ever since. While William was never able to see this dream reach fruition, Erika said that he would be proud of the family legacy because this “was all he ever wanted.”

A typical night at the club involves a dinner and several magic shows.

“People generally come up with guests, and they have a nice dinner,” Erika said. “And then there are magic shows throughout the castle. So, on any given night … you could easily see five magic shows.”

Magician Eric Buss has been performing at the Magic Castle since 1996, 27 years of the institution’s 60 year-history.

“The audiences are always amazing. They come mentally prepared for magic,” Buss said. “You can always find somebody to connect with in the audience. We are spoiled there.”

THE BEVERLY WILSHIRE HOTEL

From page 56

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At CUT, enjoy exquisite cuts of beef, signature Wolfgang Puck dishes like cavatappi mac ‘n cheese and blue fin tuna tartare.

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lost l.a.

BY RANCE COLLINS

Los Angeles is often called the city of dreams. But just as stars rise and fall in the film and television industry, so have some of the structures that helped define the city. Most of these places are wiped away without a trace and replaced with new, shiny buildings – the way one star eclipses another.

Some remnants, however, remain of structures once left to the history books. Exploring these scant, but unique, sites can provide an interesting sightseeing opportunity for Angelenos.

The tunnels once took passengers from downtown to Glendale, but since the first subway in Los Angeles took its last ride in 1955, the old tracks have been abandoned. Now left for graffiti artists, parts of the subway tunnels and terminals remain remarkably intact. The ability to connect riders from one area to another, however, is no longer possible – with sections filled in for building foundations and the reconstruction of Bunker Hill.

Part of the subway is now sealed off, and a block of tunnel located between Grand Avenue and Olive Street remains closed to the public. Urban documentarians, however, have been infrequently allowed to dive into the site, chronicling a 30-year part of L.A.’s transportation history that has been largely forgotten.

RKO 40 Acres The Culver Studios lot in Culver City, currently inhabited by Amazon, is one of the most distinctive in Los Angeles. With a stately Colonial façade, its elegance is true to its roots – it was once home to pioneering filmmakers Thomas Ince and Cecil B. DeMille. It was eventually bought by RKO Radio Pictures, as a companion lot to their home base in Hollywood.

The studio mostly rented out the soundstages and offices, most significantly to David O. Selznick, but often made use of the extension backlot that once sat behind the stages, nicknamed “RKO 40 Acres,” though it was actually less than 30 acres. The name was retained even after RKO folded and Desilu took over the property.

In the 1970s the backlot was sold off and developed with primarily industrial complexes. There are no traces of the massive exterior sets the land once held, but its legacy is memorialized with a small sign that has scrawled in big block letters: KING KONG GONE. If you look closer at the sign, located at 8620 Hayden Place, the big words are part of a larger sentence that simply relates the area’s story: “Near this site in 1927 the set for Cecil B. DeMille’s King of Kings was built, used in 1932 as the gates for King Kong, which later became the burning city of Atlanta for Gone with the Wind, which was destroyed December 10, 1938.”

After that “destruction,” from the ashes rose the intact Atlanta for the epic’s principal photography, and that was later repurposed as Mayberry on “The Andy Griffith Show.” This sign, however, is the only tip that history was made on 40(ish) acres in Culver City.

9 0 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

Aerial view of Ince Studios or the Pathe Exchange Studios (also known as Culver Studios) located on 9336 Washington Blvd. in Culver City.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LOS ANGELES LIBRARY COLLECTION

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LOS ANGELES LIBRARY COLLECTION

L.A.’s Abandoned Subway

The Brown Derby

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LOS ANGELES LIBRARY COLLECTION

The Brown Derby was a restaurant chain with locations across Los Angeles.

For years, it was the place to dine and be seen by anyone and everyone. When “I Love Lucy” goes to Hollywood, America’s favorite redhead makes a stop.

It was a favorite of shlock director Ed Wood. It was the place where the Cobb Salad was invented.

Its flagship restaurant – which was on Wilshire Boulevard – was noted for having a distinctive giant brown dome, like a hat, atop its entrance. The restaurant – all of them – are long gone, but the hat was salvaged by preservationists and placed on the third floor of the Brown Derby Plaza, where it can still be seen today at 3377 Wilshire Blvd.

Ambassador Hotel The fight to save the Ambassador Hotel was one of the most tumultuous in Los Angeles preservation history. The famed Wilshire Boulevard hot spot, which also hosted the popular The Cocoanut Grove, was famed for hosting many of the early Academy Awards ceremonies and notorious as the site of Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination.

While it closed for business in the late-1980s, it remained a popular filming location up until its demolition, with movies like “Pretty Woman,” and “Catch Me if You Can.” After many years of attempts to save the structure entirely, the Los Angeles Unified School District was granted permission to build a new school on the property. A deal was reached for the LAUSD to preserve the Cocoanut Grove – but this didn’t happen.

Instead, the school’s auditorium is a recreation of the nightclub. Traces of the immaculate hotel that once was remain. A coffee shop is now used as a teacher’s lounge. The epic entrance sign, located at 3400 Wilshire Blvd., has also been preserved, although the sign itself has long been in need of renovation.

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF LOS ANGELES LIBRARY COLLECTION

The Charlie Chaplin Studios Unlike many structures, the Charlie Chaplin Studios have remained on La Brea Avenue, with architectural integrity largely intact, since 1917. The famed silent comedian and director used the property to shoot most of his films, including “The Kid,” “Modern Times” and “The Great Dictator.”

The buildings’ uses since Chaplin relinquished the property (and began a long exile from Hollywood over communist allegations) have varied. Television shows like “Perry Mason” and “The Adventures of Superman” filmed here.

For many years it was the home of A&M Records, named for Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, and two large soundstages were converted into state-of-the-art recording studios. It brought together a large collection of superstars, including Michael Jackson and Bob Dylan, for the recording of “We Are the World,” along with its video. After A&M left, the Muppets took up residence as the Jim Henson Studios bought the property. The company is still at 1416 N. La Brea Ave. today. A few hints of Chaplin exist on the exterior, including a statue of Kermit the Frog in Chaplin’s “tramp” outfit atop the entrance.

L.A. Missile Site At one point in time, Los Angeles had more than a dozen Nike missile control sites throughout the city. During the height of the Cold War, these locations were viewed as necessary against potential external threats. The idea was to cover the nation’s largest cities with the supersonic aircraft missiles in case of the worst – an atomic bomb drop from Russia. Missile locations were added during the 1950s all throughout the county. Within a decade, however, the government began to feel the sites were unnecessary. By the mid-1970s, orders had come to deactivate all missile locations. Most of the sites are gone, but one high in the hills has been converted in a city park and can be viewed on a hike. Located at 17500 Mulholland Drive, the two-mile walk at San Vicente Mountain Park takes visitors down a dirt road to a missile control tower, a stark and fascinating reminder of a dark period in America’s past.

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The Streamline Moderne

ACADEMY MUSEUM B Y E D W I N F O LV E N

When the Academy Museum raised the curtain on its long-awaited home at Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in September 2021, it welcomed the world into a space dedicated to movies, the people who make them and the magic that happens behind the scenes.

Part historic and part history-making, the museum’s campus blends the classic Streamline Moderne architecture of the former May Co. Wilshire building with a futuristic glass and concrete sphere housing the 966-seat David Geffen Theater. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, the museum is credited for paying homage to the past while looking toward the future.

The former May Co. building, which was renamed the Saban Building, was painstakingly restored during the Academy Museum’s construction.

Originally designed by A.C. Martin & Associates, one of the most prominent L.A. architectural firms of the 20th century, the Streamline Moderne building opened in 1939 and was operated by May Company until 1992.

With the store’s closure, and the prospect of new development looming at the site, the Los Angeles Conservancy stepped in and spearheaded an effort to save the May Co. building. It was designated as Los Angeles HistoricCultural Monument No. 566 on Sept. 30, 1992. Following two decades of planning and preparations, the conservancy credits the Academy with saving the architectural treasure and preserving it for generations to come.

The Academy refitted the building’s exterior with new limestone sourced near the original quarry in Austin, Texas, to preserve the character of the Wilshire Boulevard façade. The exterior’s striking gold half-cylinder at Wilshire and Fairfax was meticulously restored. Comprised of 350,000 gold-leaf mosaic tiles, approximately one-third were replaced with new tiles from Orsoni, the original manufacturer in Italy. Piano also preserved the original structural pillars inside the former department store and replaced the concrete northern wall with windows to create an open feeling and transparency throughout the new Saban Building. The architect also built on the idea of contrasts, reflected in the glass-topped sphere that appears to float above the ground just north of the Saban Building.

The sphere was built with curved architectural concrete panels that support a domed glass roof constructed with 1,500 windows cut into 146 different shapes. The Saban Building and sphere are linked with walkways at both the mezzanine and fifth floor, furthering the architect’s ideas for connectivity among different components of the museum campus.

Paying tribute to the origins and history of film and capturing the boundless imagination of the medium was foundational for the Academy Museum. Piano’s design built upon the dynamic relationship between the indoors and the natural world, creating a museum that reflects the past and present state of filmmaking, and its limitless future.

More than 350,000 gold-leaf tiles make up the gleaming tower of the Academy Museum.

B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M 9 3

Trendy fashions found on Wilshire The Miracle Mile has always attracted shoppers with the latest fashions from stores such as Mullen and Bluett, which advertised a summer chambray for $25 on June 18, 1952.

Frank Lloyd Wright breaks ground in Hollywood Architect Frank Lloyd Wright, center, was shown on May 13, 1954, at a groundbreaking ceremony for an art gallery he designed in Hollywood’s Barnsdall Park. Wright’s grandson Eric Wright, left, and the project’s contractor Morris Pynoos, a Park La Brea resident, joined the architect at the ceremony. The gallery remains open in the hilltop park at 4800 Hollywood Blvd., next to Hollyhock House, a historic residence also designed by Wright that is open for public tours.

Hope lends voice to campaign Actor Bob Hope endorsed Proposition 6 on Oct. 27, 1960.

The ballot measure called for up to $1 billion in funds for more green spaces and recreational facilities. Hope was an avid golfer. The measure was later approved in the General Election on Nov. 8, 1960.

Shoppers flock to May Co.

LACMA opens on Wilshire The opening of Los Angeles County Museum of Art was announced on March 11, 1965. The museum cost $11.5 million to build at the time. LACMA is currently undergoing a $750-million transformation with the David Geffen Galleries, scheduled to be complete in late 2024.

9 4 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

The May Co. operated a popular department store at Fairfax and Wilshire from 1939 until the store closed in 1992. This ad from June 21, 1956, invited customers to dine while they shopped. The building now houses the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

One, two, three strikes you’re out...

Former Park La Brea resident Albert Von Tilzer, shown on April 14, 1955, penned the famous song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” Von Tilzer was originally from Indiana and lived in New York before moving to Beverly Hills and later Park La Brea. A longtime composer, Von Tilzer was approached by a young man in 1908 with a poem about baseball, and he liked only one phrase that he bought and incorporated into a melody. That phrase was “one, two, three strikes you’re out, at the old ball game.”

Robinson displays talent at early age A photograph depicting the 1929 Pasadena Buicks baseball team showed a 10-year-old boy who used to come to the team’s practices and shag balls. He is pictured sitting in front of the team. His name was Jackie Robinson.

Dodgers show love for community

Major League pitcher was a local all-star Walter “Dutch” Ruether, a leading National League pitcher from 1913-36, was shown on Aug. 20, 1956. He worked as a scout for major league teams including the Los Angeles Dodgers, and was a longtime resident of Lindenhurst Avenue in Park La Brea.

Legendary Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully, left, was shown on Aug. 22, 1974, at a luncheon in the team’s honor at the L.A. Furniture Mart.

Longtime Park La Brea resident Eddy S. Feldman, fifth from left, managing director for the furniture mart, organized the event. Scully is shown with his wife Sandra, Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton and wife Patty, Cyndy Garvey and her husband, Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey, and Henry Brandler, president of the furniture mart.

B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M 9 5

Obama makes WeHo campaign stop in 2011

President Barack Obama made a campaign stop at the House of Blues in West Hollywood in the Sept. 29, 2011, issue. It was one of many presidential visits Obama made to the local community during his tenure in the White House.

Nixon runs for governor

Democrats gather in 2000 Kristen Gore introduced her father, Vice President Al Gore, during the 2000 Democratic National Convention at the Staples Center. Gore was selected as the Democratic candidate for president that year. More than 5,000 delegates and 15,000 members of the media attended the convention.

Vote for JFK Clinton stumps in L.A. John F. Kennedy appeared in a campaign ad in the Oct. 27, 1960, issue. Kennedy accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for president that year at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and was elected president on Nov. 8, 1960.

Many famous political figures advertised in the Park Labrea News over the years, including Richard Nixon, who was running for governor in this ad on Oct. 26, 1962.

Kemp visits Fairfax High

Vice Presidential Candidate Jack Kemp returned to his alma mater, Fairfax High School, in October 1996.

9 6 B E V E R LY P R E S S . C O M

Former President Bill Clinton visited L.A. City College in the Oct. 8, 2009, issue and toured a new building constructed with environmentally-friendly features. Clinton was joined by then-California Sen. Alex Padilla and Gavin Newsom, whom Clinton endorsed for governor during the visit.

L.A. hosts ‘84 Olympics Runner Chuck Richardson carried the Olympic Torch down Wilshire Boulevard on its way to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in this photo from Aug. 2, 1984.

The Olympic Games will return to Los Angeles in 2028 and the torch will once again burn bright over L.A.

Stewart shows spirit during holiday season

Actor James Stewart, shown on Oct. 14, 1982, donated a candelabra for the Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church’s “Christmas in October” fundraiser. Stewart, who was known for memorable roles in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “The Philadelphia Story” and “It’s a Wonderful Life,” was a longtime member of the congregation and supporter of the church.

Cocoanut Grove hosted the best

The Cocoanut Grove at the Ambassador Hotel was a popular venue for top musical artists. An advertisement on Feb. 18, 1960, announced a two-week engagement

by Lena Horne.

United States celebrates 200 years Former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley unveiled a special poster marking the United States’ bicentennial on July 1, 1976. Bradley was joined by Vee Tinnin and Dr. Soledad Garcia of the Los Angeles Bicentennial Committee.

The posters were placed on 100 billboards throughout Los Angeles in celebration of the bicentennial and the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Who loves you...

Actor Telly Savalas prepared for the Academy Awards on March 28, 1963. Savalas lived at 390 S. Hauser Blvd. at the time and was nominated for best supporting actor for his role as Feto Gomez in “Birdman of Alcatraz,” also starring Burt Lancaster and Karl Malden.

Savalas later appeared in dozens of films and television series, including memorable roles as Sgt. Big Joe in “Kelly’s Heroes,” and as the title character in the television series “Kojak,” which ran from 1973-78.

Movin’ on up!

Many stars of television called Park La Brea home, including Isabel Sanford, shown on Aug. 11, 1977, who starred as Louise “Weezy” Jefferson on the CBS sitcoms “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons.”

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